The Anthropology of Hemispheric Localism Pertaining to Latina Gangs

The term “gang-talk is hemispheric localism” describes both Nortenos and Surenos who are territorialized based on their customs of race, language, class, and national identity.

The gang members’ concepts of the mission and purpose of the gang as a social union respond to broader contextual pressures that include a members’ familiarity of Latin migration dynamics and their own gangs’ internationalization, as well as their understandings of worldwide political relations.

Therefore, hemispheric localism refers to, in this particular situation, the “North” and “South” and their “webs of signification”.

Read Gang Talk is Hemispheric Localism @ Factoidz By the Ancient Digger

Was There A Real Indiana Jones?

The results are in ladies and gentlemen and I’m not at all surprised that many of you said “yes”, there was an Indiana Jones. The problem with this answer is that many people can’t agree on who it actually was.

The film character “Indiana Jones” played by Harrison Ford was actually based off of the Nazi archaeologist Otto Rahn, whom Spielberg based his movies on. Otto was a bizarre chap, and if you’d like to learn more about Otto Rahn, the Telegraph did a great piece on him.

Another rumored Indiana Jones was Robert Ripley, from “Ripley's Believe It or Not!”

Robert was an eccentric and avid traveler. He took the world by storm visiting far off lands and unblemished territories and cultures. Places like India and the Orient were unconventional areas for the American traveler during the 19th century, however Ripley's obsession drove him to these areas to study the local customs and speak with people in the area. In total, Ripley traveled to over 201 countries. Yet, my only question with Ripley is that he represents more of an anthropologist collecting ethnographies, however he did come back with some pretty bizarre finds, including the shrunken head.

The famous Howard Carter who had worked in Egypt since the age of 17 was an adventure seeker. Even though he was warned against entering the Tomb of King Tut he went forward with his excavations anyway and made one of the most famous and infamous discoveries in Egyptian archaeological history. With his charm and wit and drive to conquer the sands of time, many believe he was the true Indiana Jones.

So the answer to the question, “Was there really an Indiana Jones?” is actually yes, there were many.

You’re turn. Let me know who you think it should be, or is, in the comments area.

© Gnostic Liberation Front (Otto Rahn) © Ancient Digger (Unicorn Man)

Doc Holliday: Dentist to Gambler

A gentleman asked me several days ago whether I was aware of Doc Holliday’s transition from a dentist to a professional poker player. Odd subject to bring up at  wedding, however the day before the wedding, the ladies and gents played a few games of online poker and table games at the casino 30 minutes from the hotel. I had struck up a conversation with a history professor, what a small world, and we were talking about the origins of poker and best players out west.

I informed him my father and I used to watch Old West movies years ago when I was younger, one of my favorite movies being Tombstone with Val Kilmer as Doc. Silly, I never realized or even questioned the nature of Holliday’s name, however I was young and didn’t appreciate the history as much I do now. Furthermore, I never understood why he transitioned from dentistry to gambling and gun slinging. My new friend told me a short story.

From Dentist to Gambler: The Transition

Doc Holliday was a Doctor of Dental Surgery, gaining his degree from the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery in 1872. He worked with Dr. Arthur C. Ford in Atlanta shortly after he graduated. Ford was a hot head, and one occasion, was rumored to shoot at some negro boys using his swimming hole. Doc, eager and excited at the site of the six-shooter, shot over the boys’ head. A preview of Doc’s gun fighting days perhaps?

Shortly thereafter, Doc Holliday started his own dental practice, yet his health start to deteriorate after he  was diagnosed with tuberculosis, making it increasingly difficult to work during dental procedures with his coughing spells. Holliday was forced to figure a way to make a living.

Doc was incredibly educated and refined. He was fluent in Latin, played the piano, was a stylish dressed figure, and was a Southern gentlemen, unless involved in a bar fight and he had the chance to use his six shooter.

He was natural gambler as his intelligence gained him the knowledge to read his opponents. He actively participated in games and watched as a spectator. He eventually became a skilled poker player and Faro dealer.

Holliday’s health was always at the back of his mind, however. His mood often created a volatile atmosphere after heavily drinking. He had no fear of death as he had accepted that it was inevitable. Gambling was dangerous during the Old West so he always had a six shooter and a long jagged knife fashioned at his side. Doc’s failing health and inept attitude and intelligence explained the life he ended up living.

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Check out Legends of America for a full history of Doc Holiday’s life.

Secondary Burials of Berawan

Western society views funerary practices of non-westerners as odd, bizarre, and unnecessary. However, let's turn the tables and see what the Berawan think is so bizarre about American funerary practices.

Berawan secondary burials involves a sort of storage, if you will, of the remnants of the deceased above ground in a longhouse or upon a platform in the cemetery. The family of the dead will store the corpse in a valuable glazed jar or the coffin left over from the first stage. The entire process usually “lasts at least eight months and sometimes for several years if the close kin cannot immediately afford to complete the expensive final stages.”

Read the full story about the Bizarre Berawan secondary burial @Friends revolution.

Introducing Ancient Digger's Video TellTales Week

I’m come to the conclusion-I do that often-readers want more than just articles. If you’re like me, sometimes reading a thousand word articles can be a drag when you haven’t had you’re morning coffee. Am I right or am I right?

I want to get you involved as much as possible, as my goal is to make Ancient Digger a multimedia site. What better way to see who my readers are then to start accepting travelogues and video showcases of you on location at a historical site.

Sometimes it’s easier to understand a site or aspect of history when it’s described in another fashion by a different person. Consequently, I can’t be all over the world at all times, but all of you are. This means many of you have access to sites, maybe even a couple miles away from your home.
I want to hear you’re perspectives. You don’t have to be experts. You don’t even have to put yourself on film. I do, however, want to hear some commentary.

My goal is to receive seven videos. I would like to run a new video every day for a week once a month.

Along with the video, I would like you to provide me:

• A short bio about yourself
• An introduction for your video
• A link to your own website or blog

You can send this information to ancientdigger@gmail.com.

I can’t accept every video sent to me and I do apologize ahead of time. Remember I only need seven, so the sooner you can get your video sent to me the better. I may choose to use your video for a later date. If that’s the case, I’ll let you know via email.

This is something I’m trying and if it works, I would like to devote one week out of every month for your travel videos. Just remember, although the videos are about travel destinations, I still need to hear the history. Don’t give me a commercial. Make it personal!

Now you’re probably wondering what you get out of this deal. Am I right? If you said no, I thank you for your generosity. However, I would like to give you something back.

I will be devoting a page just for you. My video tour guides. Your name and a link to your site will reside there permanently, divided by month submitted and the name of your video.

For Example:

September 2010

Lauren Axelrod “Natives of Florida”

Rules For Video Submission

• Original work only.
• Video Format needs to be compatible with Vista, Windows 7, and XP. If I can’t upload or embed your video to the site, I can’t use it.
• No profanity in the video. Keep it friendly to all ages.
• Please keep the commentary easy to understand.
• Topic of the video should be about travel, archaeology, anthropology, culture, or history. You know what this site’s about, so stick to the format.
• Length of the video must be no less than 2 minutes and no longer than 10 minutes.
• I encourage you to film the video in English. However, if you'd like to film in your native language, I will need the translation for the video or you can add subtitles to the video itself.
• Please do not submit videos already published to YouTube. I want originals.
• Submit all videos to ancientdigger@gmail.com. In the subject line put "Video TellTales Week Submission".

Helpful Tips and Extras

• If you’d like to include friends in the video or family members, it’s entirely up to you.
• You can use music.
• You can use a rendering service like Animoto to create your video. I use them all the time. In that aspect, they will provide you en embed code. Copy and Paste. Very easy.
• Creativity is encouraged. So if I see you in an Indiana Jones hat with a whip, most likely I’ll love it.
• Videos can be made in Windows Live Movie Maker, Animoto, from a video camera, Webcam, or other video software you may have.

Voting

You are more than welcome to comment on the videos once they are published, however voting will not commence until all seven videos have been posted.

To vote, just sign into the comment system and write vote under your favorite video. You will have until the end of the month to vote and you can only vote once. You can, however, encourage your friends and family to vote and comment.

On the first of the month I will announce the winner.

Rewards

The winner will receive a free Ancient Digger T-shirt, 2 Free months of advertising (banner 125 x 125 or link), and an announcement page with a link back to your site.

For all of my six runner ups, you will still receive a spot on the video tour guide page. Your name, link to your video, and a link to your site will reside there permanently.

Ladies, you can chose a shirt from these pages:

T-shirts
Tank Tops

Gentlemen, you can chose a shirt from these pages:

T-shirts Page 1
T-shirts Page 2

Important Dates:

September 11th Videos Due
September 20th Voting Starts
September 30th Voting Stops
October 1st Winner Is Announced


Please Note: This is an off week for the Monday Ground Up Edition. I'm trying to promote the new Video TellTales Week, so make sure you tell your friends and remember, September 11th will come quite soon.

If you have any further concerns or questions, please don't hesitate to use the contact form.

I'm looking forward to seeing the submissions.

Lauren Axelrod
Owner Ancient Digger

Lost Civilization of Etruri

Etruscan Odyssey: Expanding Archaeology follows Dr. Greg Warden of SMU as he searches for clues about the lost civilization of Etruria.

The Etruscans were not only a highly religious group of individuals, but they excelled in pottery making. They were a great ancient power of the central Mediterranean, and in this video, you'll see exactly what they left behind. Fascinating piece

Monday Ground Up: Grand Master's Palace in Valletta Malta

 Source

Grand Master's Palace is located is Valletta, Malta and was the legendary seat of the Knights Hospitallerof Saint John. The order of the Knights Hospitaller arrived in Malta in the first half of the 16th century, after spending several years in route to nowhere without a base after their expulsion by the Ottomans in 1522.

How Did the Peninsular War, the Continental System and the Invasion of Russia lead to Napoleon's downfall?

History Today gives an interesting and thorough examination, written by Graham Goodlad, about the fall of Napoleon. Napoleon's character, as well as the nature of his entire empire, led to his decline.

Some historians have detected a falling off in Napoleon’s abilities as a general from about 1809. He himself privately reflected in 1805 that ‘I will be good for six years more; after that even I must cry halt.’ Before that time had elapsed, contemporaries noted that his reactions were deteriorating and his health was often poor. A corresponding decline in the quality of his army also began to have an effect. Yet the logic of conquest drove him to embark on more or less continuous warfare. A powerful case can be made for the claim that Napoleon was ultimately responsible for his own downfall.

Read along as Graham Goodlad examines the controversial reputation of Napoleon Bonaparte as a military commander.

First Flight Over the Channel by Hubert Latham

Lucis Die takes us back into history with the story of the first channel flight by Hubert Latham in 1909.

Hubert Latham was breaking record upon record, flying higher, faster and farther than anybody else. He was fast becoming the favourite to win the £1,000 prize money put up by Lord Northcliffe for the first aeroplane flight over the Channel. Lord Northcliffe was proprietor of the Daily Mail and the Times, and he was convinced that flying machines would open up England to an invasion by the Germans. To prove this, he set out the prize to show that it was possible to cross the Channel. This happened before the Great War, and long before the Daily Mail became a Nazi supporting newspaper during the 1930s. The prize was part and parcel of a PR stunt spearheaded at the government and parliament to open their eyes to the German threat. Read more about the channel flight of Hubert Latham