Nomadic Thoughts
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- The big search
As I wrap up the final weeks of my graduate school education (approximately 72 days as I write this) I have started looking for a job. I just updated my personal website with a new photo, an updated CV, and some more information about what I do. I recently applied for a position with the state of North Carolina and signed up for the federal government's job search website where you upload your information and resume and can then search for positions or be found by employers. I'm also keeping an eye on a lead with the National Park Service through a contact at school, but options are limited because there's only a handful of federally-operated parks and monuments in NC. Either way my goal is to end up in NC and get on with my life (I turned a quarter century on Monday). As for now, I'm finally working on the analysis portion of my research and the hardest part is turning out to be tracking down usable geographic data (satellite imagery, topography, etc.) to use with what I collected in Honduras. My first draft will be completed by the last week of October, then it's a back-and-forth waiting game as I correct drafts and wait for my committee to finally sign off on it.
Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:22:35 -0500 - Peruvian tribe seen again after 30 years
Not sure of the date of this story. From the BBC via LiveLeak:
Ecologists have photographed a little-known nomadic tribe deep in Peru's Amazon, a sighting that could intensify debate about the presence of isolated Indians as oil firms line up to explore the jungle. Carrying arrows and living in palm-leaf huts on the banks of the Las Piedras river, the tribe was glimpsed last week by researchers flying over the Alto Purus national park near the Brazilian border to look for illegal loggers. "We saw them by chance. There were three huts and about 21 Indians -- children, women and young people," said Ricardo Hon, a forest scientist at the National Institute of Natural Resources. Hon said an indigenous group using the same kind of huts was seen in the region in the 1980s, and advocacy groups said they appeared to be part of the Mascho Piro tribe. The sighting of the indigenous group comes as Peru's government is encouraging foreign companies to look for oil in the rainforest.
Mon, 01 Oct 2007 13:13:41 -0500 - XXV
Besides me being born a quarter century ago, and my mother posting a baby picture on her blog, October 1st has been a pretty interesting day in history:
Birthdays:
1207 - Henry III, king of England, 1216-72
1685 - Charles VI, German emperor/king of Spain, 1711-40
1924 - Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
1924 - William Rehnquist, 16th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 2005)
1963 - Mark McGwire, American baseball player
1982 - Will Klinger, ArchaeologistEvents:
1811 - The first steamboat to sail the Mississippi River arrives in New Orléans, Louisiana.
1891 - In the U.S. state of California, Stanford University opens its doors.
1903 - Baseball: The Boston Americans play the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first game of the modern World Series.
1946 - Nazi leaders sentenced at Nuremberg Trials.
1957 - First appearance of "In God We Trust" on U.S. paper currency.
1971 - Walt Disney World opens near Orlando, Florida, United States.
1982 - Sony launches the first consumer compact disc player (model CDP-101).
1982 - Will Klinger born in Houston, Texas
1989 - Denmark: World's first legal modern same-sex civil union called "registered partnership"Holidays:
National Day of the People's Republic of China (1949)
Republic of Cyprus - Independence Day (from Britain, 1960)
Nigeria - Independence Day (from Britain, 1960)
San Marino - two Captains Regent, elected by parliament, take office for six months.
Tuvalu - Independence Day (from Gilbert Islands (Kiribati), 1975)
French Republican Calendar - Cuve (Barrel) Day, tenth day in the Month of Vendémiaire
World Vegetarian Day
Singapore - Children's Day
World Health Organization - World Hepatitis Awareness Day
Armenia - Teachers' Day
Worldwide - Will Klinger Day
Mon, 01 Oct 2007 10:07:45 -0500 - Endagnered languages
From one of my favorite blogs, The Numbers Guy at the Wall Street Journal:
Numbers Guy reader Sabahat Chaudhary noticed the recent spate of press coverage claiming that half of the world’s 7,000 languages are endangered, with one dying every two weeks. The New York Times, the Associated Press and Reuters all reported these alarming statistics, released by linguists associated with the Enduring Voices project, which aims to preserve and document languages.
But not all these threatened languages face equal risks. Linguists do agree that hundreds of languages are nearly certain to expire in the next few decades, but many of the other roughly 3,500 languages defined as endangered have a much better shot. These include languages still spoken regularly in small but stable communities, but considered “endangered” because a natural disaster might wipe out the speakers. Other languages, such as Sora in Eastern India, are defined as “endangered” because city dwellers have shifted away from them, though rural speakers haven’t.
...
These are estimates in a field where exact numbers are difficult to pin down. First, defining a language compared with a dialect is difficult. Two people generally are speaking in dialects if they can understand each other, but Catalan and Spanish qualify as separate languages even though there is generally mutual intelligibility. The distinctions “don’t always jive with socially perceived language barriers that exist in some communities,” Dr. Anderson said. Nonetheless, linguists generally agree that there are between 6,000 and 7,000 languages in the world — nearly half of them in two diverse language groups, the Austronesian (mainly from Pacific islands) and Niger-Congo. Establishing the extent of language usage is also tricky; relying on national censuses doesn’t suffice because many countries don’t conduct regular counts, and those that do may not report languages spoken by fewer than 10,000 inhabitants, Dr. Anderson said.
Read the whole thing here. It's pretty interesting.
Sun, 30 Sep 2007 17:20:12 -0500 - 21-13
A much needed diversion from the tedium and monotony of thesis writing: the USF Bulls upset the #5 team in the country, West Virginia here in Tampa. Of course our football team gets good when I'm about to leave...
Fri, 28 Sep 2007 23:38:50 -0500 - Art of Living
Yesterday I received a letter in the mail (the real mail) from Tom Schmid, the chair of the Dept. of Philosophy & Religion at UNC Wilmington where I was an undergrad. The letter was about signing up for the department alumni listserv. A rush of emotion hit me with his letter because it was signed - a rarity these days - and it included a handwritten note that referenced one of my blog posts from over two years ago (predating Nomadic Thoughts).During the 2005 Spring semester at UNC Wilmington I took a philosophy course taught by Dr. Schmid entitled "The Art of Living." It was my senior year, and in retrospect proved to be one of the most important learning experiences of my life. The class was a seminar that focused on various philosophies related to what it means to live a fulfilling, moral life. Far from being some new age checklist of how to become one with God or nature, it was more an exploration of what it means to live a life in the best way possible, for yourself and everyone you come in contact with. The course didn't teach me what I needed to do to be happy. It taught me what I needed to do to figure those things out on my own. It was a refreshing alternative to what I had been taught in church and in popular culture, both of which I became disillusioned with as an undergraduate.
Part of the Art of Living course was to keep a blog for the semester where we talked about readings, philosophers, personal reflections, etc. Mine was appropriately entitled Will's Art of Living. I was browsing it tonight for a little nostalgia and came across the following passages. It reminded me of those all to short critical semesters when I learned much more than any textbook or academic could teach me. Sometimes while writing my thesis I get very frustrated and want to throw my research materials out of the window. This wouldn't be a good idea because library books are rather expensive. Instead, I take a break and think about what's really important in my life: family, friends, and freedom. My philosophy courses, and one teacher in particular, truly made me the type of person I am today. If you're so inclined, I've included some passages from my Art of Living blog that helps me put my current situation in perspective. They're below the fold. Thanks, Dr. Schmid.
Mon, 17 Sep 2007 19:32:30 -0500 - Stanley
I've been watching The Office a lot lately. It took a few seasons, but it's finally grown on me and I realize that the writing and acting is absolutely unrivaled. Thanks to my friend who has Netflix, I've been able to watch it from Season 1. During the writing of my thesis I take a break every hour or so and watch an episode. I've come to realize that I relate the most with Stanley. If you ever wonder how I feel while in Tampa when I'm away from my loved ones in North Carolina, Stanley pretty much sums it up:
Sat, 15 Sep 2007 01:29:17 -0500 - It's "just a theory"
Been working on Chapter 2 of the thesis this week. It's the theoretical framework chapter...the one where I explain where my research is in relation to the decades of other studies that have looked at ancient communities and water resources. One reason this chapter will be one of the hardest for me is because I have to come up with a definition of "community" that is...get this...both archaeologically testable and recognizes the "imagined" aspect of social groupings. The first part is easy: you see a bunch of ancient house mounds grouped together it's pretty safe to assume that they thought of themselves as a community. Or can you? That's the hardest part about theory of this kind. You can't assume anything. You have to demonstrate it, show evidence, back up your claims, etc. My head hurts.
Today's monkey picture: a monkey utilizing a water resource? Was he part of a community? Prove it!
Wed, 12 Sep 2007 16:44:40 -0500 - NYC
A short video clip I took in New York City on May 18, 2007:
"War does not determine who is right - only who is left." ~Bertrand Russell
Tue, 11 Sep 2007 00:53:34 -0500 - Stress relief
In keeping with my tradition (started two days ago) of posting pictures of monkeys doing things I describe in my posts, I want to share my number one source of stress relief this semester: working out (refer to the photo below of a presumably Asian monkey lifting an insanely huge barbell). I haven't stepped foot in a gym since last semester and haven't carried out a regular exercise routine since the ol' college days. My friend and I started lifting weights three mornings a week at the USF rec center. Three days a week we work different muscle groups and I literally feel the stress melt away. Aside from that it forces me to wake up in the morning instead of sleeping in, which would be easy to do considering I have no classes.
Mon, 10 Sep 2007 20:41:32 -0500 - Chapter 1
Chapter 1 of the thesis is in the bag. It wasn't too painful, as it was only the introduction and consisted mainly of a summary of what the rest of the thesis will talk about. The most time-consuming chapters will be 4 and 5, which are my analysis and discussion, respectively. This semester really won't be as bad as I thought and the stress level is currently at a minimum.
Sat, 08 Sep 2007 11:33:37 -0500 - Monster
The satellite images are just frightening and I can't help but think about the two communities I worked in just a few months ago in the northwest of Honduras near San Pedro Sula. I can only hope at this point that Felix moves fast and doesn't linger like Mitch did in '98, but either way there will be destruction.
Honduras is the poorest country in Central America and most rural communities are simply unprepared for anything more than a heavy rainfall. In June whenever I would ask the locals about the landscape and how they utilize water resources, the conversation invariably mentioned Mitch which killed 7,000 people in Honduras alone. Local infrastructure (i.e. streams and runoff paths) had to be retrenched to allow water and springs to flow freely to collection tanks and the effects of erosion and flooding are visible on the landscape to this day.
The implications for environmental studies in archaeology are profound: one incredibly destructive hurricane in '98 and now a Cat.5 making landfall makes you wonder just how ancient inhabitants of the valley where I work dealt with natural weather events on this scale and how often.
Tue, 04 Sep 2007 15:03:40 -0500 - Maximón
Tonight my friends and I are having a Maximón party up in Zephyrhills, FL (beautiful, sparsely-populated town just north of Tampa). While in Guatemala we became acquainted with one of the local folk saints, known as either Maximón or San Simon, depending on where you are and the specific practices. Wikipedia describes Maximón as:a saint worshipped in various forms by Maya people of several towns in the highlands of Western Guatemala. The origins of his cult are not very well understood by outsiders to the different Mayan religions, but he is believed to be a form of the pre-Colombian Maya god Mam, blended with influences from Catholicism.
Essentially, Maximón is a life-sized mannequin or doll that is dressed up in any variety of clothing styles from traditional 18th century to modern neckties and sunglasses. He is propped up in a chair in a dedicated room, and dozens of candles are lit and baskets placed around him for offering of money and other objects. There are several interesting characteristics of the Maximón cult that I find fascinating. The most prominent is the offerings given to him by the local practitioners: alcohol, tobacco, fireworks, candles, and money are the most prominent. Each year the Maximón shrine is at a different house, with a different family responsible for his maintenance and making sure he receives the necessary offering so he will be pleased.
The Maximón/San Simon tradition runs very deep in rural Guatemala where we encountered him and I'm probably doing a disservice here by lumping the two together. There is a diversity of practices and beliefs associated with the cult and people are very serious about placating him with offering. The locals believe that if they do not do so they will not have their prayers answered. The prayers range from curing an illness to helping with revenge against a neighbor. In this sense, Maximón can be interpreted as both a benevolent and malevolent deity, although I've read that he is mostly viewed as the latter and you commit offerings to prevent Maximón from doing harm rather than entice him to do good.
The first photo below is of the Maximón in Zunil, a decent-sized indigenous town most famous for its shrine. It cost me five Quetzales to enter the shrine and another five to take his picture. You can just make him out in the back but the dozens of candles are quite prominent and created a hot, smelly atmosphere. The second photo shows a store right next to the shrine where visitors can purchase offerings. This is where I bought the alcohol and cigars shown in the third photo. The third is of the little Maximón shrine in my little apartment here in Tampa. You can see the little Maximón in his chair and I have placed a bottle of grain alcohol (too scared to even smell it), a candle with the Maximón story printed on the back in Spanish, two huge cigars (plus a Cuban), and some Quetzales. Finally, the picture at the beginning of the post is of a Maximón in Santiago Atitlan which we also viewed although I didn't feel like paying for another photograph. He is probably the most famous, my guess because the town gets the most tourists thus his photograph and story is overrepresented.
A Maximón shrine in Zunil, Guatemala. July 30, 2007:
Indigenous Maya woman selling offerings in Zunil. July 30, 2007:
Maximón shrine in my apartment:
So at tonight's party in Zephyrhills we are setting up a mini Maximón shrine complete with tobacco and alcohol, although this time there will be consumption of both by the "practitioners." We are even taking it a step further and buying some fireworks and firecrackers to celebrate. Welcome to the bizarre world of anthropology parties. Also, be sure to visit the world's first online Maximón shrine.
Sat, 01 Sep 2007 11:14:16 -0500 - Is there a draft in here?
Tonight I finished the first draft of my thesis proposal. If all goes well my adviser and committee will sign off on it, thus giving me the go-ahead to actually write my thesis about my research in Honduras. Slowly but surely, it's starting to come together and I'm learning alot not only about my subject (water and ancient communities) but how to write and argue as well. It's going to be a productive semester.
Sun, 26 Aug 2007 19:00:55 -0500 - Pseudoarchaeology on Point of Inquiry
Although I haven't listened to it in a while, this week's episode of the excellent Point of Inquiry podcast features Garrett G. Fagan, a Penn State archaeologist:
In this interview with D.J. Grothe, Garrett Fagan explains the differences between archaeology and pseudoarchaeology, emphasizing how the science of archaeology benefits society. He explores possible motivations of pseudoarchaeologists, and challenges various pseudoarchaeological theories about Atlantis, the origins of the Great Pyramids in Egypt, and about the discovery great pyramids in Bosnia. He also details the various ways that pseudoarchaeology and other pseudoscientific thinking may harm society.
Read more and download the podcast from the Point of Inquiry website.
Sat, 25 Aug 2007 02:33:03 -0500
