Category Archives: ~ Culture & History

~ Culture & History

World’s Oldest Shoe Discovered, Dates Back 5,500 Years


world's oldest shoe brown sheep dung lace-up stuffedYou won’t find this style on Zappos! The world’s oldest shoe dates back 5,500 years. Photo: AP Photo/Department of Archaeology University College Cork
Looks like our ancestors had a little trouble watching their step.

Researchers excavating an Armenian cave have discovered the world’s oldest shoe — a cowhide lace-up encased in a pile of sheep dung, The New York Times reports.

(Ew. We suspect even Imelda Marcos might give this one a pass.)

Tanned in oils from a plant or vegetable and bearing leather eyelets for its laces, the right shoe reportedly pre-dates Stonehenge, the Egyptian pyramids and Joan Rivers.

“These were probably quite expensive shoes, made of leather, very high quality,” Gregory Areshian of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at the University of California, a lead scientist on the project, told the paper.

The shoe is estimated to date back to the Copper Age, around 3653 to 3627 B.C., and would fit a woman (or petite man) with a size 7 foot, according to The New York Times.

Scientists told the source that the shoe appears to have been deliberately preserved, with grass stuffing and yellow clay lining keeping its shape intact. (Nice to know ancient gals were as shoe-obsessed as we are.)

“You can see the imprints of the big toe,” another team leader, Ron Pinhasi of Ireland’s University College Cork, told the paper.

“As the person was wearing and lacing it, some of the eyelets had been torn and repaired.”

The discovery was reportedly made after the National Geographic Society-funded researchers found other artifacts, including horns, pottery, and something doctoral student Diana Zardaryan thought felt like “an ear of a cow.”

“But when I took it out, I thought, ‘Oh my God, it’s a shoe,'” she told the paper. “To find a shoe has always been my dream.”

Ah — a woman after our own hearts!

So who was this Copper Age Carrie Bradshaw? We may never know… but it makes for one heck of a good, old-school Cinderella story.

In other shoe news, read about this government-funded “Sexy Heels in the City” college course.

by Erin Donnelly

~ Culture & History, ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Animals & Extinction ~~ Here are 20


20 Animals You Didn’t Know Are Going Extinct

When it comes to the Endangered Species List, some animals stand out  as celebrities: polar bears, giant pandas, rhinos, snow leopards… But  sadly, the list is so extensive that there are many species you may  never have suspected are endangered. Here are twenty of them.

1. Zebras

An icon of the African plains and a necessity in any wildlife  documentary about lions going a’ huntin’, the zebra is actually in  trouble. Well, really, it’s the Grevy’s zebra. There are two species of zebra in Africa, the Plains zebra and the Grevy’s zebra. While the  Plains zebra is doing alright, the Grevy’s is in dire straights with only about 2,500 individuals left in the wild.

Photo: Mr. Muskrat

2.Peacocks

We wouldn’t think of peacocks as endangered, considering you can find   them in any wildlife park, petting zoo and even random farms across the  country. But there are subspecies of this flamboyant bird that are in  danger of disappearing, including the Bornean Peacock Pheasant pictured above and the Hainan Peacock Pheasant of the island Hainan, China. For both species, habitat loss is a major factor for their decline. Only about 600-1,700 Bornean Peacock Pheasants  and around 350-1,500 Hainan Peacock Pheasants left in the world.

Photo: Silvain de Munck

3. Giraffes

Giraffes are practically part of the landscape of Africa, standing  tree-like in the grasslands. Most giraffe species are of no concern to  conservationists, yet a sub-species (or, as some researchers propose a  separate species), the Rothschild giraffe,   a.k.a. Baringo Giraffe or Ugandan Giraffe, is endangered. Those living   in the wild are found in protected areas in Kenya and Uganda, while  about 450 individuals are found in zoos around the world.

Photo: Lutrus

4. Hummingbirds

Though you may see a flock around that sugar-water feeder you set  out, quite a few hummingbird species are actually listed as endangered  by IUCN. Some of these species include the Oaxaca Hummingbird pictured above, with around 600-1,700 mature individuals left; Mangrove hummingbird, which was only discovered in 2005 and lives along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica; and the Chestnut-billed hummingbird, a species found in Columbia with only about 600-1,700 individuals left.

Photo: campyloterus

5. Horses

Horses?!? Yep, horses are endangered. Specifically, the Przewalski’s Horse.   Closely related to but genetically unique from its domestic cousins,  this wild horse is critically endangered. It was listed as extinct from the wild from the 1960s to 1996 when one surviving individual was found   in the wild and other individuals were reintroduced. Currently, there are about 50 mature horses living in the wild with more individuals in captive breeding programs and zoos. That’s not very many and a major  threat to the species is a loss of genetic diversity and thus disease.

Photo: bobosh_t

6. Howler Monkey

Howler monkeys are so common to Central and South America that it’s  hard to think there is any risk for them. But with habitat loss and  capture or predation by humans, there is indeed a problem for several  species. The Guatemalan Black Howler Monkey is endangered and is expected to decline by up to 60% over the next 30 years. Meanwhile, the Red-handed Howling Monkey is critically endangered with less than 2,500 mature individuals remaining in the wild.

Photo: gr8dnes

7. Fruit Bats

Sure, some bat species are having trouble what with that awful white nose syndrome spreading, but fruit bats? Turns out, a whole slew of species of fruit bat are endangered, some of which include the Golden-capped Fruit Bat (around 10,000 individuals left), the Salim Ali’s Fruit Bat (possibly as few as 250-350 left), the Sao Tomé Collared Fruit Bat (population unknown but naturally rare), and the Small-toothed Fruit Bat (only seven specimens found).

Photo: smccann

8. Ground Squirrel

Rodents are usually a surprise for the Endangered Species list since they tend to be great at adapting and especially skilled at reproducing.  But if they don’t have a place to live, they’re flat out of luck.  Thanks to agriculture and a whole lot of rodenticide, the San Joaquin Antelope Ground Squirrel of California has less than 20% of its former range and an estimated 124,000-413,000 individuals left.

Photo: James Marvin Phelps

9. Dolphins

Even the most charismatic of animals isn’t off the chopping block. The South Asian River Dolphin has two subspecies based on the river systems in which they are found, the Ganges River Dolphin and the Indus River Dolphin. Though a strong  effort has been made to research and conserve the species, there is  still relatively little known about them. Of the Ganges River Dolphins, there are about 1,200–1,800 left, while there are an estimated 965 Indus  River Dolphins left.

Photo: Joachim S. Muller

10. Wolf Spider

They’re in every garden, right? Well, turns out there is an  interesting species of wolf spider that’s not in any garden. Called the Kaua’i Cave Wolf Spider or   the No-eyed Big-eyed Wolf Spider (huh??), this species is native to  this island alone, lives in just a handful of caves, and is the only  species of wolf spider known to be eyeless. Discovered in 1971, the  species was placed on the list of endangered species in 2000.

Photo: e_monk

11. Mice

Yep, even mice are on the Endangered Species list. Quite a few have the dubious honor, including the Himalayan Field Mouse, the Nelson’s Spiny Pocket Mouse, and the White-tailed Mouse.

Photo: randomtruth

No! Not parakeets! There are gorgeous species of this popular house pet on the brink of extinction in no small part because of their popularity as house pets. Populations of the Sun Parakeet and the Gray-cheeked Parakeet have declined rapidly because of trapping for the cagebird trade. Habitat loss is also a factor, as with the Soccorro Parakeet ,   a species for which sheep grazing and other habitat degradation has  made the population decline to possibly as few as 250 mature adults.

Photo: awayukin

12. Parakeets

13. Crayfish

Usually we think of crayfish as a common Southern food pulled from  rivers. However a surprising number of crayfish species are on the  decline. Those on the Endangered Species list include the White-clawed Crayfish (pictured above), the Phantom Cave Crayfish, the Slenderclaw crayfish, the Giant Freshwater Crayfish and the aptly named Sweet Home Alabama crayfish of Marshall county, Alabama. If that last one doesn’t have you worried about the future of crayfish cook-offs, we don’t know what will!

Photo: dubh

14. Deer

Many species of tiny musk deer, so diminutive they look like the  prehistoric animals that were the first mammals to arrive on the planet.   The species include the Himalayan Muskdeer, the Black Muskdeer (pictured above), the Kashmir Muskdeer, and Chinese Forest Musk Deer among others.

Photo: limbun

15. Water Buffalo

The water buffalo is a surprise for this list as we think of it as a domesticated animal, but like horses, it’s the wild cousins of the domesticated beasts that are at risk. There are as few as 2,500 mature individuals left and researchers estimate the species has  experienced a population decline of at least 50% over the last three  generations. The major threats include interbreeding with feral and  domestic buffalo, as well as hunting and habitat loss.

Photo: Sum_of_Marc

     16. Vultures

Vultures aren’t usually the most attractive of birds, but the Egyptian Vulture,   is a notable exception. The striking bird is found in Europe, Africa  and India, however rapid and severe declines in the Indian populations  as well as long-term decline in the European populations put the species   at around 13,000-41,000 mature individuals.

Photo: jan.stefka

17. Hippos

No, not the big, mean hippos famed for killing around 2,900 people a year. It’s their mini cousins on the Endangered Species list, the Pygmy hippo.   These round and adorable hippos are nocturnal and not much is known  about them because of their secretive ways. The last population estimate   in 1990 put the species at 3,000 individuals and habitat loss since  then suggests that even this estimate was (and is) too high. Meanwhile, there are about 303 animals in captivity.

Photo: dommylive

18. Sea Lions

Pinnipeds are geniuses in the marine world, but sadly their smarts can’t keep them off the Endangered Species list.

The Steller Sea Lion,   the fourth largest pinniped, has a global population of around  105,800-117,800 animals, but troubling declines especially in the Gulf  of Alaska has conservationists concerned. The Australian Sealion is also in trouble with an estimated population of only 13,790 individuals.

Photo: Dan Hershman

19. Gazelle

As with zebras, no documentary about the African savanna is complete without some gazelles being caught by lions or cheetahs. But that  doesn’t mean several species are in more trouble than any number of  feline predators could pose. The Cuvier’s Gazelle of north-west Africa is estimated at just 1,750 – 2,950 individuals. Meanwhile the Slender-horned Gazelle of the Sahara has only around 250 mature individuals left. The Speke’s Gazelle (pictured above) from the Horn of Africa now extinct in Ethiopia and  remaining populations in Somalia are thought to be in the tens of  thousands but they face severe pressure from hunting and habitat loss.

Photo: sandy richard

20. Mockingbirds

They may annoy you by mimicking a car alarm early in the morning, but   mockingbirds are amazing creatures. Unfortunately, at least one  species, the San Cristobal Mockingbird,   endemic to the island of San Cristóbal in the central Galápagos  islands, is endangered. There are only around 5,300 mature individuals  left.

Nothing on Earth exists without a reason, without a purpose.  Mother Nature is excellent at getting rid of things that don’t fill a  function and thus what remains here is actually important — whether or  not humans recognize that importance. Some species are on their way out  through natural selection, but others (possibly even most?) are being  forced out by factors brought on by we humans. Whether or not a species is beautiful, valuable to an economy, important to science or any other   reason, it deserves recognition for its role in an ecosystem and effort  put into conserving it in the wild. It’s not just the species making the  news that need help — it’s also some that would surprise you.

Photo: YamezA

~ Culture & History, ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Relief for DREAMers …. what it is and is not

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 click on photo for better look at bullet points

    This is for all DREAMers … not just Hispanic or Latinos

President Obama announced that the policy of prosecutorial discretion—which allows immigration agents to defer deportation of low-risk, non criminal undocumented immigrants—will be expanded to all DREAM eligible youth.This is a huge win for the immigration reform movement, and comes as a result of years of tireless mobilization and agitation by DREAMers, undocumented immigrants, and immigrants’ rights activists and politicians.

The expansion in policy means that effective today, there will be an immediate halt to all deportation proceedings for DREAMers, and all DREAMers who are already in deportation proceedings will get deferred action (lasting two years) and work permits, if they meet eligibility. Any DREAMer who meets the criteria can come forward and apply for deferred action and a work permit as well.

While this is an exciting moment for the immigration reform movement, it is not an ultimate victory. This policy expansion still does not provide a path to citizenship for DREAMers. There is still a dire need for a national DREAM Act. The struggle continues, and electing pro-DREAM champions into office this November is as important as it has ever been.

Here are some of the details of the new policy:

To be eligible you must

  • Be between 15 years or older and 30 years or younger may apply
  • Be in US for at least 5 (as of today, 6/15/12)
  • Have to have maintained continuous residence (relatively flexible interpretation)

There are no restriction on when you can apply (i.e. no window that closes after a year, for example)
Grants of Deferred Application are for 2 years and are renewable
Criminal Ineligibility: If you have been convicted of a felony, a serious misdemeanor or three minor misdemeanors not all stemming from same incident, then you are not eligible.

Need to apply? USCIS should have an application process online within 60 days. Check back on their site for more information.

We estimate that as a result of this policy extension, nearly 1 million DREAMers will be spared from deportation. This is truly an exciting day.

Click here to thank the White House for keeping their promise to provide administrative relief.