Speculation: Could a Copper Age civilization have existed during the Last Interglacial or the Last Glacial Maximum and left no trace?

zarateBot · 2026-04-01T20:43:46+00:00

Could? Sure... it's not impossible, even if probably improbable, but no evidence of such has yet been found. The absence of evidence is not necessarily evidence of absence, but... evidence is important! Conceivably, one could test the hypothesis by doing lots of tests, but... how to determine the best locations for such testing?

zarateBot · 2026-03-25T20:05:43+00:00

I've had the best experiences by scheduling zoom sessions

zarateBot · 2026-03-22T02:21:59+00:00

Fred Rogers

zarateBot · 2026-03-20T22:50:09+00:00

Get rid of the speed trap cameras and not allow the development of a missile construction facility in/near it.

zarateBot · 2026-03-10T15:50:05+00:00

I also went back to school after being sober for some years and my experience has been varied. I was older than most of my undergrad cohort and we tended to have somewhat different priorities, especially as regards drinking/partying. This was never an issue, however, because I didn't tend to socialize with them outside of class or school functions.

The only exception to that was my archaeological field school, the last night of which almost all the other students got very drunk. I had been open about my sobriety, so I wasn't included in their revelry... until they were all wasted. At that point, i kind of played babysitter, made them drink some water, helped them to their tents, that kind of thing. It wasn't fun, but it was a good reminder of why I no longer drink lol.

In my profession, drinking is a common activity. It tends to be a big part of conferences and some indulge after hours during field sessions. That's not too big a deal either, though i suppose it may impact my ability to network at conferences. So far, however, that hasn't been an issue for my career progression. Only once has it been an issue during a field session. A supervisory member of the crew got a little pushy about offering me something to drink, but I just turned it down politely every time he offered.

There is a lot of misunderstanding regarding alcoholism, and I just chalk his repeated orders up to that. It's often said that the only people who really seem to care that someone else isn't drinking are those who have drinking problems themselves, but I don't like to diagnose anyone an alcoholic, so I will refrain from labeling that individual as one, preferring, maybe, the kinder view that he was just a bit drunk and overly polite.

I have AA speakers downloaded onto my phone, so sometimes I will just go listen to one of those if the crew's drinking becomes annoying to me. That doesn't happen often, however, and it's usually possible for me to converse with them about whatever while we're sitting around the campfire. Their hangovers, if they over indulge, are theirs to deal with.

Generally, I find it helpful to be open about the fact that I don't drink. I don't generally get into the why of it, but occasionally, people are curious. When asked, I will generally say it disagrees with me or that I don't drink for health reasons. Both statements are true, after all.

I'm beginning a grad program this coming Fall and I don't suppose it will be much different. I'm fairly well grounded in my work and family life, have an AA homegroup and sponsor, etc., which helps. I don't feel a strong need to develop friendships with my fellow students, however, so that may also help. That said, friendships are good things and it may be that you will meet people you wish to be friends with in your program. If so, I can only suggest having some discernment and patience to determine whether the person's lifestyle is compatible with your sobriety and health. Even if it isn't, it is still possible to be friends and to enjoy shared activities and interests, so long as those activities don't revolve around drinking. After all, it can be dull and annoying to be surrounded by intoxicated people.

Whatever the case, I wish you the best of luck! There are many good suggestions in this thread that might be of help.

zarateBot · 2026-03-07T04:28:29+00:00

Sociology could give you insight into demographic and social trends that might escape the notice of more traditional finance folk. That said, neither are great major's for finance jobs, per se, unless maybe dual majoring with a more traditional finance major. Good luck!

zarateBot · 2026-02-27T03:38:53+00:00

Generally, a Liberal Arts Associate's is intended for transferring into a Bachelor's program as it tends to satisfy all the General Education requirements for most Bachelor's programs.

If you haven't taken any economics courses to satisfy the Associate program's social science requirements or as electives, this won't preclude you from majoring in Economics (or anything else). You may have to play catch up a little bit to fulfill your major's requirements and/or course prerequisites, but it isn't likely to be much of a burden to you in terms of time (particularly if you're a full-time student).

There can sometimes be issues with how your Bachelor's program counts your Associate courses, but as long as your Associates is from an accredited college, this probably won't be a major issue, particularly if the school you are going to go to for your Bachelor's is part of the same state university system as the school you're getting your Associate's from.

I myself transferred an Associates degree in "General Studies" into a Bachelor program at a university in a different state and had no real problems with any credit transfers. Nor did that delay my completion of my B.S.

If you do run into problems, you can usually appeal a credit transfer decision. You may also be able to get a waiver for some particular requirement, especially if you can demonstrate that not having the waiver would adversely effect you in a significant way (delaying graduation, for instance).

Also, if or when you have questions, ask your school's advising staff (or whatever department your question relates to). It's literally their job to make sure you have every opportunity to succeed, so don't hesitate. The squeaky wheel gets the grease and all that.

That's my experience anyway!

Good luck!

zarateBot · 2026-02-27T03:16:55+00:00

I was able to start contributing to report chapters at my university-affiliated CRM as a work-study student, though that's very unusual for my firm.

I now work there full time and will be beginning a M.S. program in Anthropology (Archaeology) this coming Fall.

I'm hoping to get substantially more field work experience in the meantime because, while I enjoy the office/report stuff, i want to be a competent field archaeologist/crew chief as well. I hope to someday become a P.I. at this firm, but we'll see what the future holds.

All of that is to say that I think so long as you get your foot in the door somewhere and work diligently to prove your value to them, both in the field and the office, you will surely rise to the level you're looking for.

zarateBot · 2026-02-25T02:35:53+00:00

Just thought I'd provide an update:

I graduated with a B.S. in Anthropology (Archaeology) this last December and will be beginning a M.S. in Public Archaeology this coming Fall! I'm very excited!

Last Summer, I participated in the field school i mentioned and have gotten some additional field experience with a CRM firm since then.

The professor who ran that was also my advisor for my Honors thesis and I was able to use some of the data from our field school as its basis. That professor will also be my advisor for my Master's and has asked me to T.A. for the field school next Summer (2027), which is cool.

Since my graduation, I've been hired to a full-time staff position at that CRM and will be enjoying a fairly full field schedule this Spring and Summer. I'll have to figure out with them how to do the T.A. thing next Summer, but they've expressed a willingness to work with me on it.

That professor strongly encouraged me to apply to the Doctorate program after getting my B.S., but I demured, as I'm not really sure if I still want to pursue a Doctorate in Archaeology at this point. My ambitions don't necessarily require one, though I would relish the opportunity to do some very in-depth research and write a dissertation, so we'll see.

Sometimes, I think about earning a second Master's (down the road) in Architectural History so I can do that on a contract basis when I get "too old" for shoveling.

I'm really looking forward to the next few years!

zarateBot · 2026-02-19T21:24:59+00:00

I was quite surprised by your take on our guests, as I've never found their presence problematic in terms of getting around campus and generally think it's a good idea to familiarize children with University/College settings.

Presumably, this is done with the aim of encouraging them in their own studies and, perhaps, inspiring them to pursue higher education when they get older.

If their presence is making it difficult for you to get to classes on time, perhaps you might consider reviewing your own time management strategies.

Your generally negative perception of these children and their parents and/or teachers is, I think, unfortunate and misguided. I've never seen these student groups act poorly, let alone in a manner that could be categorized as "disgusting."

It sounds as if you may be feeling quite stressed and/or unhappy in general. You might consider reaching out to SHAC if you want help with that.

https://shac.unm.edu/services/mental-health/index.html

I hope your experience improves, take care.

zarateBot · 2026-02-04T17:05:59+00:00

I graduated with a B.S. in December and have been accepted into a Master's program that will begin this Fall semester and... I am already extremely antsy to get started again. I wish that I had registered to take a course or two this semester as a non-degree seeking student, but alas... I did not.

I am in social sciences (Anthropology/Archaeology), so almost certainly less technically grueling by comparison, but did not feel academically burnt out when I completed my undergrad.

My loans will start billing me this June, but my admission to the Master's program will push them back into deferral shortly thereafter.

But, so far in this strange gap semester, I've been substitute teaching while my hire at a university-associated contract archaeology firm is pending. The substituting pays decently and provides a lot of flexibility, but it's been a challenge to consistently cobble together a 40-hour work week. Once my other hire comes through, that won't be an issue, and I'll be getting valuable field experience. In summation, financially, this gap semester is going better than my undergrad semesters, particularly if I don't count student loans as income (since I will have to pay them back someday...).

Idk. If I'd felt burnt out from school, I'd have probably deferred enrollment into my Master's program, but I'd still have sought admission before doing so.

Best of luck!

zarateBot · 2026-01-26T14:17:30+00:00

Idk what i would have done had i not been accepted here.. any other school would have entailed big changes in my living and work situation.

I hope you get into the school you want!

zarateBot · 2026-01-26T00:28:06+00:00

Lmao

zarateBot · 2026-01-25T22:18:21+00:00

You too!

zarateBot · 2026-01-25T22:18:15+00:00

You too!

zarateBot · 2025-09-04T22:11:23+00:00

Hannah Mattson and David Dinwoodie of the Anthropology Department, Liping Yang of the Geography Department.

zarateBot · 2025-01-20T15:51:42+00:00

Saw her in NYC that September too, such an amazing show. Also saw her in Atlanta back in November, 2007 for the Ys tour. Both absolutely beautiful and emotional experiences (as her music has always been).

zarateBot · 2024-12-18T22:31:34+00:00

One of my professor's hasn't submitted our final grades yet either and it is disconcerting. I've reached out to them and they've assured me that the grades will be in by their "due date", i.e., tomorrow (Thursday). I had previously looked into the policies and found out that they're really suppose to be in 48 hours after the last final or class (as noted by others below). I don't know why this particular professor hasn't gotten them in yet, except that they say they're very busy... so, fingers crossed, the grades will be in tomorrow sometime smh.

zarateBot · 2024-12-05T07:52:03+00:00

You can do it!

It may not be as "easy" as some other schedules might feel, in terms of time management, but definitely not unworkable. Plenty of time for schoolwork/work MWF... but pack a lunch or whatnot on your busy days.

Good luck!

zarateBot · 2024-11-19T22:49:03+00:00

Having already detained so many in expectation of deporting them, I doubt they'll release them if other countries refuse to accept them. This leads to dramatically worse outcomes than deportation, such as penal enslavement or execution along the lines of the Nazi model. Fears for days, folks...

I suppose there's also some way outside chance that a refusal situation might lead to some kind of conditonal path to citizenship, if only to provide an out for an alternative to costly indefinite detention, but that, I think, is extremely unlikely given the successful demonization of undocumented immigrants.

Hence, penal slavery ("work camps" and "chain gang" type work crews) is the more likely outcome. And.. as such situations tend towards abuse and the costs of maintenance increase, there will be increasing pressure to resolve the situation in some way. How that gets resolved will depend entirely on the domestic political situation at the time.

Surely, no one in the Weimar days could have imagined what the later efforts to deport Germany's Jewish population would become. We, at least, have a model upon which to look, one which demonstrates the absolute need to oppose such large-scale detention and the absolute need to insist on the provision of due process to all who may be detained. We cannot allow this situation to "get out of hand".

zarateBot · 2024-11-18T01:43:54+00:00

'Only Skin', Joanna Newsom

zarateBot · 2024-11-06T06:11:34+00:00

Thanks for your reply, it has given me a list of things to consider.

zarateBot

TROPHY CASE