(no subject)

Ancient Indian villages revealed in Utah

Archaeologists led reporters into a remote canyon Wednesday to reveal an almost perfectly preserved picture of ancient life: stone pit houses, granaries and a bounty of artifacts kept secret for more than a half-century.

Hundreds of sites on a private ranch turned over to the state offer some of the best evidence of the little-understood Fremont culture, hunter-gatherers and farmers who lived mostly within the present-day borders of Utah.

[...] Waldo Wilcox, the rancher who sold the land and returned Wednesday, kept the archaeological sites a closely guarded secret for more than 50 years.

“I looked at it like this: I wanted to keep it the way it is,” said Wilcox, 74, who moved to Green River and retired. “But when I die, I’m not going to have a lot to say about it. I finally decided I’ll take a little money and get out now.”

as seen in challenging_god

Churchgoers Get Direction From Bush Campaign

The Bush-Cheney reelection campaign has sent a detailed plan of action to religious volunteers across the country asking them to turn over church directories to the campaign, distribute issue guides in their churches and persuade their pastors to hold voter registration drives.

Campaign officials said the instructions are part of an accelerating effort to mobilize President Bush's base of religious supporters. They said the suggested activities are intended to help churchgoers rally support for Bush without violating tax rules that prohibit churches from engaging in partisan activity.

[...] [T]ax experts said the campaign is walking a fine line between permissible activity by individual congregants and impermissible activity by congregations.

[...] The instruction sheet circulated by the Bush-Cheney campaign to religious volunteers lists 22 "duties" to be performed by specific dates. By July 31, for example, volunteers are to "send your Church Directory to your State Bush-Cheney '04 Headquarters or give [it] to a BC04 Field Rep" and "Talk to your Pastor about holding a Citizenship Sunday and Voter Registration Drive."

By Aug. 15, they are to "talk to your Church's seniors or 20-30 something group about Bush/Cheney '04" and "recruit 5 more people in your church to volunteer for the Bush Cheney campaign."

By Sept. 17, they are to host at least two campaign-related potluck dinners with church members, and in October they are to "finish calling all Pro-Bush members of your church," "finish distributing Voter Guides in your church" and place notices on church bulletin boards or in Sunday programs "about all Christian citizens needing to vote."

(no subject)

( best friend meme )

A bit surprising, but in a good way. :)

What is wrong with Americans?

Hospital Sued Over Photo of Man's Genitals

taken from ytterbius

1. Pick one thing from my interests list that you like and explain why.
2. Pick one thing from my interests list that you don't like and explain why.
3. Pick one thing from my interests list that surprises you and explain why.
4. Pick one thing from my interests list that you don't understand and I will tell you about it.
5. Tell me one thing that's not on my interests list that should be.

by way of xiombarg

Speed of light may have changed recently

It's cliquey... cliquey, cliquey, cliquey

( clique meme )

That makes me miss Grinnell all the more.

(no subject)

It's Called Democracy

What gives the government the right to arrest you and imprison you indefinitely without offering a reason or opportunity to appeal? The answer, in the United States, is: Nothing gives the government that right. It is hard to see what is left of American freedom if the government has the authority to make anyone on its soil — citizen or noncitizen — disappear and then rule that no one can do anything about it.

Or so we once thought. But the Bush administration — whose convoluted memos on defining torture now rank with Bill Clinton's definition of sex — says Congress gave it exactly this power. And when was that? Soon after Sept. 11, 2001, Congress passed a two-line resolution authorizing the use of military force against "nations, organizations or persons" engaged in terrorism. We would like to hear from any member who intended by this vote to repeal the Bill of Rights.

( Read more... )

(no subject)

Not just good, but good for you