New Fossil Strenghtens Theory of Evolution

“You ever noticed how people who believe in Creationism look really unevolved? You ever noticed that? Eyes real close together, eyebrow ridges, big furry hands and feet. "I believe God created me in one day" Yeah, looks like He rushed it.” - Bill Hicks

Today, in New York the primate fossil dubbed, 'Ida', was unveiled. The significance of Ida is monumental. Not only is the fossil 95% complete, but even the remnant of her last meal is intact. "It tells a part of our evolution that's been hidden so far. It's been hidden because the only [other] specimens are so incomplete and so broken there's nothing almost to study", says Dr. Hurum of Ida. Ida is similar to other 4 legged mammal like the cow, sheep and dog.

The amazing preservation of this fossil is attributed to a volcanic deposit at Messel:

"The basin in which the deposit accumulated formed during a volcanic explosion. It filled with water, which seemingly, one way or another, accumulated gases that poisoned animals individually, episodically, or periodically"

Archaeologists here in the Midwest wouldn't mind that kind of preservation!!

A monumental find like Ida helps to solidify the theory of evolution, not that it was ever in any real harm. Science is not a guessing game, or a set of dogmatic rules. It presents facts to us and we place those facts in context. Ida will allow us to understand more fully how our species has evolved. Even with all of his research shortcomings, Darwin attempted to put the human existence into context, so it is fitting that the scientific name for Ida is darwinius masillae.

Pure Bliss

My Eyes Are Open

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed." - Albert Einstein

In December, I graduated with a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Illinois, Chicago. Since then I have been looking for work and catching up on some reading.

Lately I have been wondering, what is a B.A. worth these days? Well lets do some simple math;

-About 11,000 in Federal Student Loans

-About 15,000 in Private Student Loans

-4 Months, 5 days a week, 8 hours a days of looking for a job totaling about 640 hours

-Over 200 resumes and applications finished

As the summer months approach and the ground thaws, the American Archaeology season is just beginning. In the next few weeks I am interviewing for archaeology positions in the Chicago area, Iowa, the Dakotas, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Considering the wide range of possibilities, I will keep a journal of sorts here on my experiences as an Shovel Bum over the coming months.

The worth of a degree is different for everyone; a chance for financial growth, a stepping stone to a higher degree or plain self gratification, but for me it's worth will be measured by the adventure into the unknown. Or as one of my favorite TV series puts it, "to boldly go where no man has gone before".


My Eyes are open.

20's Reporter Asks Hilarious Question

This is possibly the funniest post-game question ever:

Republicans and their tea bags

Fascism is a plebian movement in origin, directed and financed by big capitalist powers. According to Fox News's Glenn Beck he plans to attend a $500 dollar-a-plate fundraiser for the tea party movement. Obviously, this "Tea Party" movement is really a way for the GOP to raise money.

Here is what went on at one of the tea party meetings:

Listen to the scary woman yell about burning books around 4:40:





Does anyone else find it offensive for these people to use the moniker "Tea Party" for an ultra-conservative movement aimed at financial gain?

The Greatness of the White Stripes

Conan O'Brien is leaving late late night, destined to become the new and improved host of the Tonight Show. For the last night of the Conan O'Brien Show, the White Stripes agreed to appear as the musical guest. Although I missed the show, here is an appearance they made in 2003 on Conan's show, compliments of Pitchfork.com.

The music speaks for itself:

The White Stripes
Uploaded by molivera

Wow.....

Please sir, can you pass the logic?

It seems that the "Conservative Idiocracy" theme continues...

McCain's tweet not sitting well with one newspaper

McCain has been Twittering his '10 Porkiest Projects.'

WASHINGTON (CNN) – A South Carolina newspaper isn’t too happy with what John McCain’s been Twittering.

McCain has been using the microblogging site to post a near-daily list of the “10 Porkiest projects” in the omnibus spending bill. On Wednesday, the Arizona senator posted “#6. $950,000 for a Convention Center in Myrtle Beach, SC.”

The Myrtle Beach Sun News editorialized Friday that McCain is using the site “to make congressional earmarks a political wedge issue for the Republicans” by posting such earmarks without context.

The paper wrote that “readers of McCain's Convention Center tweet are now invited to think — without the inconvenience of critical reflection — that the Myrtle Beach Convention Center project has no value.”

The editorial argued instead that the convention center project has the potential to create long-term wealth and jobs in the coastal resort city.

“The irony in all this,” the paper wrote, is that the earmark was inserted into the spending bill by one of McCain’s closest friends: South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham