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Show StatesmanCampus News Monday, Nov. 16, 2009 Page 3 Archaeology gives evidence of war, speaker says Briefs Campus & Community By MI KAYLA RICH HASS Hour highlights author Willa Cather staff writer Patricia Lambert, associate professor and anthropology program director, spoke about her work in California, Colorado and Utah as part of the Museum of Anthropology's Saturdays at the Museum. Lambert began her work in the late 1980s and has worked in the Santa Barbara channel area primarily. The lecture Lambert gave was titled "The Archaeology of War." The lecture, which took place in Old Main, dealt with using resources found at archaeological sites that give evidences of war. Some of the resources, Lambert said, that were useful were war weaponry, pictographs and skeletal remains. "War weaponry can be useful evidence, but there's some problems with that. Most societies use the same weaponry to hunt that they use to fight battles with. It may also have symbolic meaning," Lambert said. "You want to see the different kinds of evidence in support of it to argue that this is war weaponry. So weaponry can be useful, they just have some issues in terms of interpretation." Lambert also looks at bioarchaeological evidence, such as healed and lethal fractures on skulls found at the sites, as well as projectile wounds on other parts of the skeletons. "You can notice that this looks like a depression in the skull. This means that this person was hit was a club of some sort and that the wound healed. However, if you look at this skull you can see that there is just a hole. This was a fatal blow," Lambert said. There are many different reasons people go to war, Lambert said. During the climatic anomaly in the medieval times — 1,000 years or so ago — the world LAMBERT had a mini ice age. This affected the tribal societies all over the world. Lambert noted that in almost all of the societies she ANCIENT DRAWINGS on stone were displayed in front of the Museum of Anthropology at Saturday's event. Patricia Lambert discussed problems that arrive when using archaeology to learn about ancient wars and lifestyles. STEVE SELLERS photo studied around the time of the anomaly there was a jump in violent activity. According to Lambert this is most likely due to scarcity of food and water. "It's interesting to note that a lot of the cliff dwelling people live in places that are not great places to set up your house," Lambert said. "It's not clear who they were defending themselves from. All of the villages were built in the cliffs around the same time." There were also homes built on edges of canyons with the only door facing the canyon. The people would risk their lives walking out of their homes every day in order to defend against intruders. Lambert explained that the doors would have been easily defensible since people could push enemies off the ledge and to their death. Diversity: Week helps USU think globally I continuedfrom page 1 try to be as inclusive as possible but not exclusive for anybody. "Sometimes people think that diversity is just for certain people," she said, "but that is completely false." Second, Bustamante said being yourself also creates the diversity on campus. She said who you are is your diversity. Bustamante said students should get involved with Diversity Week and International Education Week because it is great way to meet someone they had never met, and it gives students a type of experience they otherwise would not have had in a classroom setting. "For me, diversity has an extremely positive connotation," she said. "The word diversity may not have that same connotation with everybody. My experience with diversity has always been a celebratory one and I want to incorporate my view of diversity to everyone." Lakhlani said USU President Stan Albrecht is trying to put USU on a global level. He said going to events such as International Education Week is one way for students to see what they're getting into. "No matter what your major is, eventually you will have to deal with a person who is from a different country. It is inevitable," Lakhlani said. "This is one great forum to be given to understand and look at different cultures." — courtnie.packer@aggiemaiLusu.edu WHAT'S GOING ON A schedule of events for Diversity Week and International Education Week, Nov. 16-20: Monday: • All day — Study Abroad Photo Contest, across from TSC Ballroom. • Noon - 2 p.m. — International Fashion Show, TSC Sunburst Lounge. • 6-9 p.m. — "A Killer Bargain" movie, TSC Auditorium. Tuesday: • All day — Study Abroad Photo Contest, across from TSC Ballroom. • 9 a.m. -1 p.m. — Unity Carnival, TSC International Lounge. • 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. — Multicultural Student Service Cookout, TSC Patio. • 6-7:30 p.m. — "Muslims of the Media" discussion and panel, TSC Juniper Lounge. • 7:30 p.m. — "Kite Runner" play, TSC Auditorium. Wednesday: • All day — Study Abroad Photo Contest, across from TSC Ballroom. • All day — International Dress Day. • 6-9 p.m. — "El Senor Presidente" movie, TSC Auditorium. Lambert showed the group a picture of a mass grave, which is part of the Crow Creek Massacre, and a picture of the Rwandan genocide and said, "Clearly Rwanda was a much larger massacre; however, they look strikingly similar, and I think that can convey the same sort of intent. This was a genocide meant to wipe a group of people off the face of the earth. We sometimes think that this is something that's just happening today but the archaeological evidence suggest that humans have a greater capacity of this in the past as well. Which suggest that we really need to take a broader view of humans and their behavior and why people do the things they do." — mikayla.rich@aggiemail.usu.edu Bomb: USU squad one of Utah's eight Utah Symphony I continuedfrom page 1 pianist to play harm's way, and Milne said some squads have even used their robots' audio capabilities for hostage situations. "It's certainly made our job a lot safer," Milne said. Milne remembers the day he first picked up the robot in 2003. He was on his way back to Logan from Salt Lake City when a call came in about a crudely-wrapped package in a Smithfield mail drop-box with nothing but the words "Deliver to FBI ASAP" written on it. Using the robot, the squad detonated the package and found it to contain a bundle of counterfeit currency. Craner said most of the squad's calls come in the form of suspicious packages, material to be disposed of and the occasional pipe bomb. These calls are serious but manageable and don't create too high a level of anxiety, even when techs have to don the suit. "I'm not scared," Craner said of his work. "I just want to take my time." Currently, there are eight bomb squads in Utah, Milne said. The USU squad covers Cache, Rich and Box Elder counties and averages two calls per month. Milne and his bomb techs are often called on to assist other jurisdictions but lately have not had a shortage of local work. In the last three weeks, they have responded to five calls in Brigham City, where a local man employed at ATK Thiokol needed to dispose of a large quantity of hazardous material. "He had seven storage units, big ones, full of hazardous chemicals and rocket propellant," Frost said. "They were too scary to leave on site." When not responding to calls, the bomb techs return to positions in their respective entities around the valley. Frost, who works with the Cache County Sheriff's Office, said the different organizations are supportive and understanding when the techs need to leave their work to respond to a situation. While the squad has not had extremely perilous situations to deal with during its roughly 24-year existence, the dangers are real, even in Cache Valley. Frost spoke of an incident where a local rancher took matters into his own hands and was killed while trying to dispose of some old explosives. Frost urges residents to call the squad when there is any situation that involves explosives or hazardous material. Anyone calling the fire department, sheriff's office, USUPD and LCPD dispatch centers will be able to notify the bomb squad, and the trained technicians will know the best way to handle the situation. "There's an element of kooky, an element of old things lying around and, well, you just never know," Craner said. — b.c.wood@aggiemaiLusu.edu Thursday: • All day — Study Abroad Photo Contest, across from TSC Ballroom. • 1:15-2:15 p.m. — Rwandan Ambassador keynote address, TSC Auditorium. • 6:30 p.m. — Mr. and Ms. International Pageant, TSC Ballroom. Friday: • All day — Study Abroad Photo Contest, across from TSC Ballroom. • 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. — International Brunch, TSC Patio. USU hosts bioneer conference BY USU MEDIA RELATIONS The Utah Bioneers kick off their sixth annual sustainability conference this Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20-21, at the Eccles Conference Center. This year's conference theme is "Crossroads and Opportunities — Staking a Claim in Utah's New Energy Economy." Along with energy issues, the conference — which includes local presentations and presentations from the Bioneers national conference in San Rafael, Calif. — will showcase presentations on the Three Es of Sustainability — sustainable environment, sustainable economy and sustainable social equity. Registration is underway. Those interested should visit http://extension.usu. edu/bioneers for full conference details as well as registration instructions. This year, student and faculty rates have been significantly reduced and are $20 for two days for students or $15 for one day, and $30 for faculty and administration, $20 for one day. All rates include a lunch of locally-grown food prepared by the award-winning Culinary Concepts. The support for HASS Hour, an intellectual and social gathering sponsored by the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Utah State University, continues to grow. The next offering in the popular series is Thursday, Nov. 19, with a presentation by Steven Shively, associate professor of English at USU. Shively's presentation is titled "Willa Cather: From Nebraska to Utah State to the World." HASS Hour begins at 5:15 p.m., with the TimePiece beginning at approximately 6 p.m. Willa Cather, the subject of the evening's topic, is a noted American author and has proved to be surprisingly popular in classrooms around the world, Shively said. USU's department of English publishes the journal "Teaching Cather" and is among the leaders in promoting the study of Cather's writing in international settings. HASS Hour is held at Hamilton's Steak and Seafood, 2427 N. Main Street. A buffet with appetizers, desserts, soft drinks, ice tea or coffee is offered. Cost is $6.95 per person plus tax and gratuity and is billed on an individual basis. Guests can also order from the menu, and a cash bar is also available. For planning purposes, please RSVP to Natalie Archibald Smoot in the HASS office, 797-2796, or email natalie.archibald@usu.edu . THE USU BOMB SQUAD'S ROBOT explores a suspicious package on the corner of 400 North and Main. The robot is equipped with four cameras, a microphone, speaker and moveable claw. It can climb stairs, pick up objects and take care of suspicious packages. photo courtesy of USU POLICE Acclaimed pianist Jason Hardink presents a solo recital in the USU's Performance Hall Thursday, Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m. The recital is presented by the department of music in the Caine School of the Arts at USU. Tickets are available in the Caine School of the Arts Box Office at Fine Arts 139-B, 797-8022, online at http://boxoffice.usu.edu or at the door. Admission is $8, USU students get in free. Please, no children under the age of 8. A pianist of unusual versatility and depth, Hardink holds the position of principal symphony keyboard at the Utah Symphony. Hardink has appeared at the Grand Teton Music Festival, Music on the Hill and the Cascade Head Chamber Music Festival. Food, culture topic at museum event On Saturday, Nov. 19, the Museum of Anthropology's Saturdays at the Museum series at USU hosts a day to celebrate food and culture around the globe. Guests can taste and learn about unique dishes from a variety of countries. "Food is a very personal part of all cultures," said USU student and Saturdays program planner Allyson Martin. "Everything about food is dictated by our culture from how we prepare it, to how we serve it, to how we eat it. No two cultures do things the exact same way." From 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., museum guests can taste an array of dishes and learn about their cultural significance. Recipes will also be available for guests to take home and try on their own. Funding for the event is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services. More information about the IMLS and its grants is available online at www.imls.gov. USU students and members of the public are invited to the museum any time during the 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday hours. The USU Museum of Anthropology is in the south turret of the Old Main Building, Room 252. Free parking is available in the adjacent lot, south of the building. For more information on this event, call museum staff at 797-7545. LI Compiled from staff and media reports |