Norse origin of Santa explained [26 Dec 2009|12:34am] anthropologist [aki_no_kaze] That jolly old elf Santa Claus may have gotten his name from Sinterklaas, a Dutch derivation for Saint Nicholas of Myra, but his wizened appearance, as well as a few of the customs and characteristics associated with Santa seems to stem from Norse traditions. (Original Article or ( read more ) 2 comments|post comment

Turkey's Ancient Town of Myra: the Home of Santa Claus [25 Dec 2009|11:41pm] anthropologist [gwinna] Demre, Turkey - South-west Turkey is home to the early Christian legend of St Nicholas. Nicholas is thought to have lived in the fourth century and was the Bishop of the ancient town of Myra. The town was part of the Lycian League and visitors to the nearby town of Demre can still find plenty of evidence of the region's ancient past. Myra was once located directly on the coast and according to legend St Paul set sail from here to Rome where he was martyred. The ruins of the early Middle Ages basilica on the edge of Demre are a reminder of the first burial place of Bishop Nicholas. The remains of the saint have long since been removed and the sarcophagus in the basilica is empty. Nicholas's body was transferred to the basilica of San Nicola in Bari in southern Italy. When Muslim invaders occupied the region of Lycia the remains of Christian saints were spirited away. Original Article or ( Read more... ) 2 comments|post comment

paleo without fieldwork? [21 Dec 2009|06:45pm] anthropologist [finstergrrrl] hi all. i'm about to complete my bachelor's degree (united states, ohio) and am strongly considering applying to the master's program in anthropology at kent state university. not only would i (theoretically) have access to dr. owen lovejoy, i'd also have access to a treasure trove of old bones. *cue glint in eye* i'm a paleo person all the way and kent state, from everything i understand, has one of the best bio/paleo programs in the world. if anyone cares to correct me on that, please enlighten me. here's my problem. fieldwork seems to be sort of a given in the field. however, i'm not actually sure i want to do fieldwork, at least not long-term. i realize i'll probably have to do at least some for the degree. that said, is there a place in anthropology for people who just want to work in the lab? or am i terribly naive? thanks. 7 comments|post comment

Rejection after UCL interview... [21 Dec 2009|10:03pm] anthropologist [lizfairy] I felt a bit gutted when I first found out, but now I'm kind of over it, as realistically I'd rather focus on Social Anthropology, offered to me already by Goldsmiths and Kent, and awaiting pending decisions from LSE and Edinburgh. I asked for feedback... And have from it come to the conclusion the college had already made up their decision prior to my interview, and it was more a formality to not un-invite me. Though I met the grade requirements of ABBB already at A level, and have a strong personal statement, apparently competition this year is far greater than last year and as a result the grade profile is being raised to at least AABB, with offers going to mainly those with 3 As. I felt really unchallenged in the interview, and didn't get the grilling I'd heard of successful interviewee applicants receiving prior to their offers. I didn't get caught out or give any grounds to NOT receive an offer, but at the same time I wasn't given an opportunity to show off my research, experience, existing knowledge etc. I'm very disappointed. I had extenuating circumstances (hospitalization during AS) and a doctors note to confirm this which were sent even with my application. This didn't help it. Oh well, I doubt I'll get an offer from LSE or Edinburgh but I shan't feel hostile towards either, as neither will have wasted my time and parent's money traveling to a non-event hehe. I can hope anyway. I think I'll end up at Goldsmiths next year, can't wait to study Anthropology! :) 1 comment|post comment

[20 Dec 2009|10:45pm] anthropologist [ar_poe] [ music | Philip Glass - Metamorphosis Five | Powered by Last.fm ] Hi guys, new to the community, and I hope this type of post is alright. Anyway, I'm an anthropology major and I was looking into trying to find a few blogs on anthropology (in general or cultural) and criminal profiling, that type of thing. I was wondering if anyone had any favorite blogs that they'd be willing to share? Surprisingly, I can't seem to find too many. Thank you in advance! 7 comments|post comment

Santa Claus 'buried in Ireland' [19 Dec 2009|09:29pm] anthropologist [gwinna] The saint who the legend of Santa Claus is based on is believed to be buried in Kilkenny, according to local historians. The remains of St Nicholas of Myra, the philanthropist who lived in the 4th century and was the bishop of Lycia, are thought to have been moved to Jerpoint Abbey some 800 years ago. During his life, St Nicholas left anonymous gifts for the poor and his well-known generosity propelled him to sainthood shortly after his death in 346, inspiring the legend of the jolly man in the red suit. Original Story or ( Read more... ) 30 comments|post comment

hello [19 Dec 2009|09:11pm] i_cystitis [spareblessing] [ mood | cranky ] hello im kinda new to livejournal but i knew that this group would be a lot of help to me. ive had bladder problems for about 5-6 years now? (i am only 16) ive never been diagnosed with ic and im getting kinda annoyed with this pattern i seem to have. which is me have a flare up and seeing a doctor, them passing it off as bacterial cystitis and prescribing some antibiotics, doing a test anyway which just confirms that it is "nothing to worry about" and sending me on the way. the thing is i am never free of any kind of discomfort, whether it be a full on sit on the toilet until 6 in the morning flare-up or just the constant "need" to urinate. i really am getting sick of it now. ive tried just about everything and doctors seem reluctant to help even though this is a reaccuring problem. does anybody have a similar problem with this "phantom" ic? or is it just me? all the best x 5 comments|post comment

countercultural ethnographies [18 Dec 2009|04:03pm] anthropologist [omdreads] hey folks, at the college I attend, we spend junior and senior year researching and writing a thesis (we call it "plan"). I am writing an ethnography of contemporary punk counterculture in the U.S., taking photographs of punks, writing a fictional ethnography of a group in the future, and situating it all historically with a paper about bohemians in the early 1900's and hippies in the 1960's and 70's. So, I'm interested in: ficitonal ethnographies, ethnographies of countercultures (particularly bohemians, hippies, and punks), and any other thing you think might be relevant. I have, of course, read Dick Hebdige, but for the most part what I have is original research I've conducted, and it would be great to have inspiration and/or footnotes from some other ethnographers or theorists. thanks, Georgios 5 comments|post comment

Link of Interest [18 Dec 2009|12:52am] anthropologist [gwinna] EurekAlert! is an online, global news service operated by AAAS, the science society. EurekAlert! provides a central place through which universities, medical centers, journals, government agencies, corporations and other organizations engaged in research can bring their news to the media and the public. EurekAlert! features news and resources focused on all areas of science, medicine and technology. 2 comments|post comment

Star Trek Stops Women From Becoming Computer Scientists [17 Dec 2009|06:01pm] anthropologist [gwinna] The gender gap in computer science may have been widened by Star Trek, a new study suggests — but it could be bridged with a less geeky image. New research published in the December Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggests that the stereotype of computer scientists as unwashed nerds may be partially responsible for the dearth of women in the field, as shown by National Science Foundation statistics. “What this research shows is that the image of computer science — this geeky, masculine image — can make women feel like they don’t belong,” says lead author Sapna Cheryan of the University of Washington. Original Article or ( Read more... ) 64 comments|post comment

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