Buried Dogs Were Divine "Escorts" for Ancient Americans
Anne Casselmanfor National Geographic News
April 23, 2008
"Hundreds of prehistoric dogs found buried throughout the southwestern United States show that canines played a key role in the spiritual beliefs of ancient Americans, new research suggests. . ."
Read full story:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/04/080423-dog-burials.html
Dody Fugate has created a database of over 700 dog burials, many of them in the American Southwest and indicates a preponderance of burials during the period between 400 BC and AD 1100. Dog burials are a phenomenon found throughout the world, and recent research is focusing questions of religious significance to help determine why dogs were buried in a ritual manner, often with people.
--aggie castronuevo johann
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Iraqi shoe-thrower captures Mideast rage at Bush"
"By Alistair Lyon, Special Correspondent - Analysis
BEIRUT (Reuters) - The hurling of shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush on his farewell visit to Iraq strikes many in the Middle East as a fittingly furious comment on what they see as his calamitous legacy in the region.
Arab and Iranian TV stations have gleefully replayed the clip, sometimes in slow motion, of an Iraqi reporter calling Bush a "dog" and throwing his shoes at him -- the Middle East's tastiest insults -- at a Baghdad news conference on Sunday." http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4BE39O20081215
See video: http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=95468&newsChannel=newsOne
In Middle East culture, it is an extreme insult to show someone the bottom of one's shoe. This incident may come off as humorous to those in the West, but the ramification of its significance will reverberate throughout the Middle East for some time to come.--aggie castronuevo johann
BEIRUT (Reuters) - The hurling of shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush on his farewell visit to Iraq strikes many in the Middle East as a fittingly furious comment on what they see as his calamitous legacy in the region.
Arab and Iranian TV stations have gleefully replayed the clip, sometimes in slow motion, of an Iraqi reporter calling Bush a "dog" and throwing his shoes at him -- the Middle East's tastiest insults -- at a Baghdad news conference on Sunday." http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4BE39O20081215
See video: http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=95468&newsChannel=newsOne
In Middle East culture, it is an extreme insult to show someone the bottom of one's shoe. This incident may come off as humorous to those in the West, but the ramification of its significance will reverberate throughout the Middle East for some time to come.--aggie castronuevo johann
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Oldest Marijuana Stash discovered
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/november282008/ancient_stash_11-27-08.php
http://io9.com/5099717/worlds-oldest-pot-stash-offered-an-afterlife-high
"This ancient batch of marijuana was reported to have a fairly high content of THC, the main ingredient in cannabis.
The marijuana was discovered in a tomb similar to these in the Xinjiang province. Courtesy: lh6.ggpht.com
(OTTAWA ) - Opponents of marijuana have called foul over the belief that the herb has actually been used for thousands of years; and now their arguments will fall silent as a researcher announces locating a stash of marijuana in a Chinese tomb that is scientifically dated at 2,700 years old...."
"Wow, Man...that's some good old stuff!"
It is suggested that the stash belonged to a blond, blue-eyed Shaman, whose remains were found at the site; the drug may have been used as an 'afterlife high' --aggie castronuevo johann
http://io9.com/5099717/worlds-oldest-pot-stash-offered-an-afterlife-high
"This ancient batch of marijuana was reported to have a fairly high content of THC, the main ingredient in cannabis.
The marijuana was discovered in a tomb similar to these in the Xinjiang province. Courtesy: lh6.ggpht.com
(OTTAWA ) - Opponents of marijuana have called foul over the belief that the herb has actually been used for thousands of years; and now their arguments will fall silent as a researcher announces locating a stash of marijuana in a Chinese tomb that is scientifically dated at 2,700 years old...."
"Wow, Man...that's some good old stuff!"
It is suggested that the stash belonged to a blond, blue-eyed Shaman, whose remains were found at the site; the drug may have been used as an 'afterlife high' --aggie castronuevo johann
Japanese Bombing Site Vandalized
http://www.fs.fed.us/fstoday/081128/03.0About%20Us/memorial.html
"The Forest Service and Curry County (Ore.) Crime Stoppers are seeking the public’s help in finding those responsible for the recent damage to Wheeler Ridge Japanese Bombing Site Trail facilities on the Gold Beach Ranger District. “Vandals have damaged an important trail facility that serves as a local historical and recreational opportunity to the American public,” said Alan Vandiver, Gold Beach District Ranger. ..."
This site, on the Oregon coast is one of four sites on American soil hit by bombs during World War II. Although the war is but a memory to most and a page in world history, this memorial is a testament to a history and relationship between two countries, now allies.
The racist symbols etched into wood, and the graffiti serve no purpose other than to damage a piece of our World's heritage, as well as to remind the world that divisiveness still exists today.
--aggie castronuevo
[Article on trail dedication]
http://www.fs.fed.us/fstoday/080919/03.0About%20Us/trail_dedication.html
[Forest Service information on the Wheeler Ridge Japanese Bombing Trail]
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/rogue-siskiyou/recreation/trails/japanese-bombing-site.shtml
"The Forest Service and Curry County (Ore.) Crime Stoppers are seeking the public’s help in finding those responsible for the recent damage to Wheeler Ridge Japanese Bombing Site Trail facilities on the Gold Beach Ranger District. “Vandals have damaged an important trail facility that serves as a local historical and recreational opportunity to the American public,” said Alan Vandiver, Gold Beach District Ranger. ..."
This site, on the Oregon coast is one of four sites on American soil hit by bombs during World War II. Although the war is but a memory to most and a page in world history, this memorial is a testament to a history and relationship between two countries, now allies.
The racist symbols etched into wood, and the graffiti serve no purpose other than to damage a piece of our World's heritage, as well as to remind the world that divisiveness still exists today.
--aggie castronuevo
[Article on trail dedication]
http://www.fs.fed.us/fstoday/080919/03.0About%20Us/trail_dedication.html
[Forest Service information on the Wheeler Ridge Japanese Bombing Trail]
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/rogue-siskiyou/recreation/trails/japanese-bombing-site.shtml
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
So What Happens to Turkeys after Pardons???
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008439460_apfeapetscreatureturkeys.html
"At Thanksgiving, turkeys are in the spotlight, but not all of them end up on our tables.
One lucky bird is appointed National Thanksgiving Turkey, appearing at the White House and getting an official pardon from the president.
It's the high point of a turkey's career. But once he's whisked off the stage, what happens? "
"At Thanksgiving, turkeys are in the spotlight, but not all of them end up on our tables.
One lucky bird is appointed National Thanksgiving Turkey, appearing at the White House and getting an official pardon from the president.
It's the high point of a turkey's career. But once he's whisked off the stage, what happens? "
Volunteers Publicize Plight of Deportees
http://www.dailylobo.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&ustory_id=6e3bd220-0480-48dc-bace-7f65fff04640
Volunteers with an Arizona Immigration-Rights Group are speaking out and informing the public about "routine" abuses by the U.S. Border Patrol. Maria Tirado, a graduate student who recently volunteered in Nogales claims that the "Border Patrol routinely denies people . . . basic amenities" including water. Beth Eastman, a volunteer for No More Deaths was told that detainees were being forced to sign documents in English, even though they did not understand what they were signing.
I understand the immigration issue, but human rights should not go out the window because a person is judged to be "illegal." The people coming over the borders are still human beings, and should be treated humanely. --Agnes F. Castronuevo
Monday, August 18, 2008
Clovis found on Lincoln National Forest
News Flash!
While conducting a survey in the Guadalupe Mountains of southcentral New Mexico, Lincoln National Forest Archaeologists recently located the proximal portion of a Clovis projectile point. Diane White, commented "I've been doing archaeology for 20 years" and thought she would never find anything as important as a Clovis artifact. Shortly after recovering the stone point, LNF archaeologists suffered from a temporary scare as the Clovis point was discovered missing by Amanda Sanchez. It turns out that one of the staff members had set the artifact next to the office candy dish, where it was picked up by another conscientious archaeologist, and locked up for safekeeping.
The Clovis point fragment is made of tan chert. It measures 2.5cm in length, 2cm wide, and .5cm in width just above the flute. There is a distinct flute on one side, and what appears to be a partial flute on the obverse. The point was broken ~3mm beyond the full flute. There appears to be at least two separate breaks, one of which is hinged.
Archaeologists are yet unsure of the total significance of this recent find. The site appears large and boundaries have not been completely identified. At least one archaeologist, forest service SCEP and Graduate student at New Mexico State University, Agnes Castronuevo hopes to find more associated with the site, perhaps even mammoth bones! "Blackwater Draw anyone?"
While conducting a survey in the Guadalupe Mountains of southcentral New Mexico, Lincoln National Forest Archaeologists recently located the proximal portion of a Clovis projectile point. Diane White, commented "I've been doing archaeology for 20 years" and thought she would never find anything as important as a Clovis artifact. Shortly after recovering the stone point, LNF archaeologists suffered from a temporary scare as the Clovis point was discovered missing by Amanda Sanchez. It turns out that one of the staff members had set the artifact next to the office candy dish, where it was picked up by another conscientious archaeologist, and locked up for safekeeping.
The Clovis point fragment is made of tan chert. It measures 2.5cm in length, 2cm wide, and .5cm in width just above the flute. There is a distinct flute on one side, and what appears to be a partial flute on the obverse. The point was broken ~3mm beyond the full flute. There appears to be at least two separate breaks, one of which is hinged.
Archaeologists are yet unsure of the total significance of this recent find. The site appears large and boundaries have not been completely identified. At least one archaeologist, forest service SCEP and Graduate student at New Mexico State University, Agnes Castronuevo hopes to find more associated with the site, perhaps even mammoth bones! "Blackwater Draw anyone?"
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Mt. Baker Snoqualmie Photo Gallery
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/photo_gallery/
Here is a great album of photos from Mt. Baker Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington State!
Here is a great album of photos from Mt. Baker Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington State!
Wenatchee National Forest Photos
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee/photographs/index.shtml
These are some photos from the forest in Eastern Washington!
These are some photos from the forest in Eastern Washington!
Bio-definitions
Biogenic – material originating in organisms.
Bioluminescence – production of light by biota.
Biomass – weight of living material per unit area.
Biome – an ecological zone that extends over a large region.
Biomonitoring – the evaluation of environmental conditions through the use of living organisms.
Biosphere – that portion of the surface of the earth in which life exists.
Biota – living organisms.
Biotic community – the organisms in a given habitat.
(just a list of definitions related to "bio")
Bioluminescence – production of light by biota.
Biomass – weight of living material per unit area.
Biome – an ecological zone that extends over a large region.
Biomonitoring – the evaluation of environmental conditions through the use of living organisms.
Biosphere – that portion of the surface of the earth in which life exists.
Biota – living organisms.
Biotic community – the organisms in a given habitat.
(just a list of definitions related to "bio")
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
The Arrowhead
THE ARROWHEAD by John Homer Luffman1910-1987
I FOUND A FLINTY, GLIST'NING ARROWHEAD IMBEDDED IN A HILL IN TENNESSEE. DID SOME BRAVE WARRIOR, NOW AMONG THE DEAD DEFEND HIS LAND - LAND OF THE CHEROKEE? WAS IT INTENDED FOR AN UNKNOWN FOE OR MEAT WITH WHICH TO FEED A HUNGRY CLAN? AND DID IT HIT THE MARK OR DID IT GO AMISS, CONTRARY TO THE MARKSMAN'S PLAN? HOW LONG WAS THIS BEFORE THE TRAIL OF TEARS, WHEN NATIVE SONS WERE FORCED TO LEAVE THEIR LAND. NO ANSWERS FELL UPON MY LIST'NING EARS FROM THIS SMALL THING I HELD WITHIN MY HAND. IT COULDN'T SPEAK AND I WILL NEVER KNOW ALTHOUGH, IT IS A FACT, I WONDER STILL WHO AIMED THE ARROW ONCE SO LONG AGO I FOUND IMBEDDED IN THE RED CLAY HILL.
I FOUND A FLINTY, GLIST'NING ARROWHEAD IMBEDDED IN A HILL IN TENNESSEE. DID SOME BRAVE WARRIOR, NOW AMONG THE DEAD DEFEND HIS LAND - LAND OF THE CHEROKEE? WAS IT INTENDED FOR AN UNKNOWN FOE OR MEAT WITH WHICH TO FEED A HUNGRY CLAN? AND DID IT HIT THE MARK OR DID IT GO AMISS, CONTRARY TO THE MARKSMAN'S PLAN? HOW LONG WAS THIS BEFORE THE TRAIL OF TEARS, WHEN NATIVE SONS WERE FORCED TO LEAVE THEIR LAND. NO ANSWERS FELL UPON MY LIST'NING EARS FROM THIS SMALL THING I HELD WITHIN MY HAND. IT COULDN'T SPEAK AND I WILL NEVER KNOW ALTHOUGH, IT IS A FACT, I WONDER STILL WHO AIMED THE ARROW ONCE SO LONG AGO I FOUND IMBEDDED IN THE RED CLAY HILL.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
An Ancient Place to Wonder about our Survival
'It’s a fairly pristine desert landscape. When former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt recommended national monument status for the area to President Clinton, he said, “this landscape offers us a chance to study an entire culture, one that may have been as rich and diverse as the one we have today.” He argued that archaeological sites should not just be protected individually, “but rather as part of a landscape or ‘anthropological ecosystem.’”'
He said, “The real science on these landscapes doesn’t come out of digging out a room and extracting a few pots. The real discoveries today come from asking the deeper question of ‘How did communities live in spiritual and physical equilibrium with the landscape?’”
...a question I often ask; a question relevant for the past, as well as for the present. Native Americans seem to have lived as part of the landscape, as part of the entire universe. They did not command control over the earth, rather they showed immense respect for the environment that supported them through their lives. The footprint left by prehistoric and modern Native American peoples is slight compared to that being created by non-natives of today. Compare the pueblo dwellings with the concrete and skyscrapers of modern American urban environs.
http://www.archaeologynews.org/Link.asp?ID=306241
He said, “The real science on these landscapes doesn’t come out of digging out a room and extracting a few pots. The real discoveries today come from asking the deeper question of ‘How did communities live in spiritual and physical equilibrium with the landscape?’”
...a question I often ask; a question relevant for the past, as well as for the present. Native Americans seem to have lived as part of the landscape, as part of the entire universe. They did not command control over the earth, rather they showed immense respect for the environment that supported them through their lives. The footprint left by prehistoric and modern Native American peoples is slight compared to that being created by non-natives of today. Compare the pueblo dwellings with the concrete and skyscrapers of modern American urban environs.
http://www.archaeologynews.org/Link.asp?ID=306241
Monday, July 14, 2008
History of an ancient symbol
"Visitors to New Mexico in the late 19th century would have been pleased to purchase a souvenir rug, pot or piece of silver jewelry decorated with a swastika. "The tourists loved the motif," wrote Margery Bedinger in her popular 1973 book Indian Silver: Navajo and Pueblo Jewelers. "Between July, 1905 and 1906, 60,000 swastikas in various forms, some by Indians and others not, sold to tourists in New Mexico as genuine Indian articles.""
Legend of the Crystal Skull
http://www.archaeology.org/0805/etc/indy.html
"Sixteen years ago, a heavy package addressed to the nonexistent "Smithsonian Inst. Curator, MezoAmerican Museum, Washington, D.C." was delivered to the National Museum of American History. It was accompanied by an unsigned letter stating: "This Aztec crystal skull, purported to be part of the Porfirio DÃaz collection, was purchased in Mexico in 1960.... I am offering it to the Smithsonian without consideration." Richard Ahlborn, then curator of the Hispanic-American collections, knew of my expertise in Mexican archaeology and called me to ask whether I knew anything about the object--an eerie, milky-white crystal skull considerably larger than a human head..."
"Sixteen years ago, a heavy package addressed to the nonexistent "Smithsonian Inst. Curator, MezoAmerican Museum, Washington, D.C." was delivered to the National Museum of American History. It was accompanied by an unsigned letter stating: "This Aztec crystal skull, purported to be part of the Porfirio DÃaz collection, was purchased in Mexico in 1960.... I am offering it to the Smithsonian without consideration." Richard Ahlborn, then curator of the Hispanic-American collections, knew of my expertise in Mexican archaeology and called me to ask whether I knew anything about the object--an eerie, milky-white crystal skull considerably larger than a human head..."
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