Thursday, May 10, 2007
Queen Nefertiti
PARIS - More than 3000 years after her reign as queen to a mysterious pharaoh, Nefertiti has sparked a row between Egypt, which wants her bust returned for an exhibition, and Germany, which is refusing to let it leave Berlin, where it is the city's greatest treasure...
The real question is: "who owns archaeological artifacts?" Do they belong to the indigenous people whose ancestors created them? In the case of the bust of Queen Nefertiti, does the artifact belong to her people, or to the people of a foreign land who have adopted it as "one of Germany's own?"
This is a contentious issue that pervades all areas of archaeology, in all lands. For example, in 1911, an historian from Yale University led expeditions to Machu Picchu and removed boxes of Peruvian artifacts dating to the Inca era. Today, the Peruvian government has put the ivy League school on notice, requesting the return of the "illegally obtained" treasures, or face a lawsuit. According to an article in the CSM, David Ugarte, the regional director of Peru's National Culture Institute claims the treasures "were given to the American explorer 'on loan'."
Perhaps it is time to leave the "Indiana Jones" idea of archaeology behind us (relegating the movies to simply entertainment), and seek to explore archaeological sites for the science and understanding contained in them. The artifacts, cultural remnants of the people, should remain in the land where they are found; with the descendants of their creators.
Granted, the bust of Queen Nefertiti is truly a treasure, a sight deserving of the eyes of the world's people. It should be cared for by her people, back home in her homeland of Egypt.
Agnes F. Castronuevo
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Many U.S. soldiers endorse torture - ArcaMax Publishing
News & Features - Many U.S. soldiers endorse torture - ArcaMax Publishing
What has our nation and culture become when soldiers of the U.S. Army endorse the mistreatment and torture of individuals as a means to get information, or in other words: to win? According to the article, about 1700 soldiers were polled, and the many favor this type of treatment.
How can this attitude be justified in a military that purports to denounce torture? Has our society changed so much that it is lending a blind eye and a deaf ear to this issue? Are we condoning this treatment as a result of our ethnocentrism toward Middle Eastern, Islamic, and Iraqi people?
How many innocent men, women, and children have been mistreated? How many have been charged with a crime--specifically a war crime? Even so, how can soldiers from a nation proud of its system of justice watch as other human beings are treated less than respectably, injured, and even killed? (I have historical flashbacks to our own era of pre-Civil rights when black Americans faced the same inhumane treatment).
As an American, I am appalled; as a former U.S. Army Cavalry soldier, I am angry. I served my country to defend it from wrongs and injustice perpetrated by an enemy with intentions to destroy our values, our way of life. It saddens me tremendously to watch as we have become that same kind of enemy.
A.F. Castronuevo
former soldier, U.S. Army
What has our nation and culture become when soldiers of the U.S. Army endorse the mistreatment and torture of individuals as a means to get information, or in other words: to win? According to the article, about 1700 soldiers were polled, and the many favor this type of treatment.
How can this attitude be justified in a military that purports to denounce torture? Has our society changed so much that it is lending a blind eye and a deaf ear to this issue? Are we condoning this treatment as a result of our ethnocentrism toward Middle Eastern, Islamic, and Iraqi people?
How many innocent men, women, and children have been mistreated? How many have been charged with a crime--specifically a war crime? Even so, how can soldiers from a nation proud of its system of justice watch as other human beings are treated less than respectably, injured, and even killed? (I have historical flashbacks to our own era of pre-Civil rights when black Americans faced the same inhumane treatment).
As an American, I am appalled; as a former U.S. Army Cavalry soldier, I am angry. I served my country to defend it from wrongs and injustice perpetrated by an enemy with intentions to destroy our values, our way of life. It saddens me tremendously to watch as we have become that same kind of enemy.
A.F. Castronuevo
former soldier, U.S. Army
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Wenas Mammoth Mystery
http://www.kvnews.com/articles/2007/05/02/news/doc4638ee2342902125251306.txt
Deep in the heart of the Wenas Valley, at first glance one sees a creek, small herds of grazing cattle, and a lush green valley surrounded by dry sagebrush hills. Off to the south is a little-known site called the Wenas Mammoth Archaeological site, where archaeologists, paleontologists, and geologists have been doing fieldwork for the past two summers with hopes of unraveling all the mysteries surrounding the gentle giant called the Wenas Mammoth.
During the first year, the scientists and their students uncovered giant-sized bone elements, including two humerus, and many smaller elements that were not readily identifiable due to their rough condition.
The second year, however, not only uncovered more bones, but also more questions as to what had happened on that hillside 16,000 years ago. As part of the 2006 field school, we unearthed what appear to be prehistoric bison elements including various vertebrae in an excavation unit containing mammoth bone. Radiocarbon dates have returned a fairly solid date of 16,000 years on both the mammoth, and the bison.
One may wonder why there is a dead mammoth and a dead bison located in the same unit. Then we discovered a single stone flake near the bones. It appears to be the medial portion of a heat treated stone flake, and there doesn't appear to be a question about the stone having been humanly modified. Much excitement is further had for two soil samples taken above and below the flake have been sent out to a luminesence lab for dating: the dates returned strongly correspond to the 16,000 year date on the bones.
Obviously 16,000 years dates well before the earliest known (Clovis) people are believed to have been in this part of the continent. Only time, and further research will help to answer this, and many other questions coming out of the Wenas Mammoth archaeological site.
Agnes F. Castronuevo
Deep in the heart of the Wenas Valley, at first glance one sees a creek, small herds of grazing cattle, and a lush green valley surrounded by dry sagebrush hills. Off to the south is a little-known site called the Wenas Mammoth Archaeological site, where archaeologists, paleontologists, and geologists have been doing fieldwork for the past two summers with hopes of unraveling all the mysteries surrounding the gentle giant called the Wenas Mammoth.
During the first year, the scientists and their students uncovered giant-sized bone elements, including two humerus, and many smaller elements that were not readily identifiable due to their rough condition.
The second year, however, not only uncovered more bones, but also more questions as to what had happened on that hillside 16,000 years ago. As part of the 2006 field school, we unearthed what appear to be prehistoric bison elements including various vertebrae in an excavation unit containing mammoth bone. Radiocarbon dates have returned a fairly solid date of 16,000 years on both the mammoth, and the bison.
One may wonder why there is a dead mammoth and a dead bison located in the same unit. Then we discovered a single stone flake near the bones. It appears to be the medial portion of a heat treated stone flake, and there doesn't appear to be a question about the stone having been humanly modified. Much excitement is further had for two soil samples taken above and below the flake have been sent out to a luminesence lab for dating: the dates returned strongly correspond to the 16,000 year date on the bones.
Obviously 16,000 years dates well before the earliest known (Clovis) people are believed to have been in this part of the continent. Only time, and further research will help to answer this, and many other questions coming out of the Wenas Mammoth archaeological site.
Agnes F. Castronuevo
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Religion Afraid of Near-Death Experience Research, Says Dr. Neal Grossman
Religion Afraid of Near-Death Experience Research, Says Dr. Neal Grossman
"our culture has difficulty accepting the near-death experience phenomena: “All near-death experiencers come back claiming to know what the purpose of life is…"
Dr. Grossman argues that our culture will not embrace the "Golden Rule" answer to living life, as claimed by many of those who have returned from NDEs. As evidenced by the wealth of this nation, it can be suggested quite strongly that money trumps love. I agree with this. One only needs to watch the daily news to find support for this hypothesis--look at the terrorism that rages around the world, the wars in the Middle East, the racial strife, even road rage on our streets.
A.F. Castronuevo
"our culture has difficulty accepting the near-death experience phenomena: “All near-death experiencers come back claiming to know what the purpose of life is…"
Dr. Grossman argues that our culture will not embrace the "Golden Rule" answer to living life, as claimed by many of those who have returned from NDEs. As evidenced by the wealth of this nation, it can be suggested quite strongly that money trumps love. I agree with this. One only needs to watch the daily news to find support for this hypothesis--look at the terrorism that rages around the world, the wars in the Middle East, the racial strife, even road rage on our streets.
A.F. Castronuevo
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
News & Features - Cho was ordered to on-campus treatment - ArcaMax Publishing
News & Features - Cho was ordered to on-campus treatment - ArcaMax Publishing
BLACKSBURG, Va. (UPI) -- The gunman in the Virginia Tech massacre was court-ordered to undergo on-campus psychiatric treatment long before the attack, ABC News reported Tuesday...
This illustrates how little priority is given to mental health issues. The death of 33 people at Virginia Tech is the manifestation of the lack of attention to the symptoms evident in Cho several months ago.
a.f. castronuevo
BLACKSBURG, Va. (UPI) -- The gunman in the Virginia Tech massacre was court-ordered to undergo on-campus psychiatric treatment long before the attack, ABC News reported Tuesday...
This illustrates how little priority is given to mental health issues. The death of 33 people at Virginia Tech is the manifestation of the lack of attention to the symptoms evident in Cho several months ago.
a.f. castronuevo
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