#60 Updates and Changes

Well then...no entries for the last week or so.  What the hell?  I'll change that today.  There are a lot of good CRM related news items in the country this week and my posts for today will highlight some of my favorites.

I've been working on completing some online tests for the Civil Air Patrol.  There are a lot of tests and hoops you have to jump through before you can get in a plane and start training for search and rescue missions.  I hope to be flying within the next couple of months now.  It's pretty exciting!  I haven't flown in quite some time and to get the chance to fly for a purpose will be challenging and exciting.

In other news, I've been thinking about doing some sort of podcast for the last few years.  Just getting started is the difficult part.  There are several news podcasts out there (here and here) with a primary focus on academic archaeology but not always.  Important CRM-related sites are sometimes discussed.  I'd like to hear a podcast that primarily focused on CRM archaeology.  Ideally it would have news segments, a discussion section, and possibly some interviews from time to time.  Interviews would be of field techs, PIs, clients, and anyone else that I find interesting.  With the use of Skype there could be several people from across the country on the podcast as co-hosts.  Interviewies could also be just about anywhere.

For the short term I wonder whether anyone would be interested in a weekly podcast detailing the week's CRM-related news?  I have the equipment to accomplish that task right now.  This is something I might try this week.  Would anyone be interested in such a show?  I imagine that a pure news podcast would be approximately 15-20 minutes in length and be, as I said, weekly, at best.

I'd appreciate any comments or advice.

#59 Save the Battle of Blair Mountain Site

“West Virginians Rally for Blair Mountain Preservation, Development” - The State Journal, Charleston, West Virginia

This site is what the 99% and the Occupy movements are fighting for.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Blair_Mountain_Fighting.jpgIn 1921 10,000 to 15,000 coal miners walked off the job at Blair Mountain.  They were fighting for the right to unionize and demanded safer working conditions in the mines.  It was the nation’s largest labor uprising and the largest armed insurrection since the Civil War.  Now, Alpha Natural Resources and Arch Coal want to make it a massive surface mine.

A group calling themselves “Friends of Blair Mountain” collected 26,000 signatures and presented them to the West Virginia State Historic Preservation Office on November 1st.

The movement is being led by University of California, Berkeley, PhD. candidate in archaeology, Brandon Nida.  Nida is not trying to prevent any sort of mining on the site, rather, he recommends deep-mining under the site.  

"Keep on talking about Blair Mountain," Nida directed those interested in helping the cause. "Keep on sharing this history with each other. It's amazing history."

Nida feels that the property could be donated or the companies could be given tax credits for the land.

There is an effort to make sure that the mining companies are not financially damaged by the preservation efforts and to try to make everyone happy.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/05/100520-science-environment-blair-mountain-coal-massey-energy-nation/Previous archaeological surveys on the site found 14 sites and more than 1,100 artifacts.  

“This is one of the best-sealed contexts, the best archaeological integrity, as we call it, of any site I’ve ever been to,” said Harvard Ayers, a professor emeritus in archaeology at Appalachian State University.

Ayers was able to get Blair Mountain listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.  By December of that year the site was back off the list.  The article doesn’t say why.  The site is currently eligible for listing which doesn’t provide it the same protection that a true listing would.

A retired union coal miner, Joe Stanley, said that he is a product of Blair Mountain.  “Without Blair Mountain, there would be no middle class in the United States as we understand it,” said Stanley.

"Once the vision of Friends of Blair Mountain is completely realized, Blair Mountain Historic Park will be a fully functioning educational and tourist destination, complete with a Friends of Blair Mountain multipurpose building, battlefield tours, monuments, historic markers, a living history coal, an outdoor amphitheater, lodging, camping, restaurants and retail shops," the proposal for Blair Mountain Historic Park states.

National Geographic covered this story with a great article as well.

With the 99% and all of the Occupy movements going on right now we need to remember where the middle class came from.  We need to remember our roots and honor the people that sacrificed their jobs and sometimes their lives in support for what they believe in.  I hope the Friends of Blair Mountain can reach an agreement with the mining companies.  It would be even better if mountain-top removal mining and coal mining were to go away as newer technology replaces the need for it.  That’s another argument, however.

Handmark

2008  The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (iPad App), Oxford University Press, 2nd ed.   Developed by Handmark, Inc.

Mine Any kind of excavation into the ground for the purpose of extracting some kind of raw material such as stone, metal ore, coal, or flint. The simplest mines are basically pits sunk into the ground to find or follow outcrops of the desired material; these can be described as open‐cast mines. Lines of shallow extraction pits following surface outcrops of metal ore are known as rakes. Deeper, rather cylindrical holes may be described as simple shaft mines. Examples where the shaft is expanded at the bottom to maximize the area available for extracting a particular layer of material are known as bell pits. Shafts that provide access to a series of galleries that follow seams of material underground are known as galleried shaft mines. Pits that run horizontally into a hill slope or cliff following material into the slope are known as adits or drift mines.

The techniques of mining developed steadily from Neolithic times onwards in most parts of the world, the use of fire‐setting and stone mauls being the commonest way of extracting hard rocks until hardened iron or steel tools became available in later medieval times. The use of drills and explosives appears from the 18th century ad. In prehistoric times, soft rock such as gravel or chalk was excavated using bone and antler tools and stone and flint axes. The archaeology of mines and mining is often rather complicated because as well as the underground elements (which are often well preserved) there will be surface structures including spoil heaps, processing areas, working floors, a range of shelters and facilities, drainage works, and perhaps aqueducts, leats, reservoirs, and other water management works where water power was used or where material removed from the mine itself needed to be washed.

#58 Shovelbums Guide Part 10: Unemployment

(Brief aside...you may have noted ads on the right side of this page.  I started a Google Adsense account in an attempt to help pay for this site and to make it better.  Squarespace charges for bandwidth limits, which I haven’t hit yet, and hit count limits, which I also haven’t hit yet.  Of course, it would be wonderful to promote archaeology full time but this isn’t going to do it.  A few clicks on the site and telling your friends, however, can make it better.  Thanks and on to the post).

Throughout my career I’ve heard of people working through the season and going on unemployment for the winter.  The smart field tech will have saved enough money to live for three or four months during the off season but sometimes you need that little government bump that you earned anyway.  In twenty years of paying taxes I’ve never collected unemployment.  Since I’m currently out of work, a bit earlier than I thought I would be, I figured I’d get the unemployment ball rolling and report back for those that might be interested.

I’ve always been a bit too lazy to file for unemployment in the past.  I figured that working in several different states throughout the year would just make it way too complicated.  Also, the unemployment procedures are different for every state.  This post will discuss filing for and collecting unemployment in the state of Nevada.

The first thing I did was Googled “nevada unemployment”.  It pretty much brought me right to the page that I needed to use to start a new claim.  There are a lot of pages that try to confuse you and that have way too much information on them.  Once you sort through all of that it’s pretty easy.

http://www.kabobfest.com/2011/04/econ-dogma-3-unemployment-2.htmlThe online filing system asked me a few questions to assess whether I could even file online or if I had to use the phone system.  The question that stopped we was whether I had worked solely in the state of Nevada for the past 18 months.  That is the period they use to assess how much you will qualify for.  I decided to test the system because I had one two-week job in Georgia at the beginning of the 18 month period.  I thought that I could just forget that part.  That was my first mistake.

Since I answered the test questions satisfactorily the website directed me to the online filing system.  I answered a bunch of questions and made it down to my work history.  That’s when I backed out of my plan to forget about the little Georgia job.  Once I admitted that I’d worked in Georgia the system immediately kicked me out and told me to use the phone filing system.  Damn.

The phone system is automated and asks the same questions as the online system.  It never even asked me about the Georgia job because this is when you find out that they are only looking about nine months back.  Nice.  It took about 15 minutes to complete the filing process by phone.  At that point I thought I was done.  The automated system told me that my claim would be evaluated and that I’d be contacted.

The next day I received a call from a person at the unemployment division.  He asked me almost all of the same questions, including the names and addresses of my last employers (during the last 9-12 months).  He was able to instantly pulled my financial data from those employers and determined that I had made about $33K during the last four quarters.  That qualified me for the maximum unemployment benefit of $396 a week for a maximum of 26 weeks (or $10,296).  I was told that there might be federal taxes assessed on this “income” (Nevada doesn’t have a state tax) and I was given the option to hold 10% of the disbursement each week.  I elected to do that because I don’t need the headache of dealing with pulling taxes out of savings in April.

So, now I have to file each week and keep a log of the jobs that I apply for.  They say you should apply to at least 3-4 jobs each week but that it is almost impossible to enforce that if you have a job that doesn’t have many open positions (such as archaeology in the winter).  I could be asked to show my job log at any time.  If I don’t satisfy the unemployment division they could take back all of the money they have given me.

There is one more complication because I’m a veteran.  Veterans are supposed to go to Nevada Job Connect to see if they can assist in the job search.  I don’t know why and they could’t give me a good answer.  Last week I went there for the first time and the representative that I talked to had a contact for a local company and was going to send my information to them.  The only downside to using Nevada Job Connect is that if they refer you to a job and you are offered that job, regardless of the conditions of the job, you have to take it.  If you are offered an interview, you have to take it.  If you don’t do these things they can submit your case for adjudication and you could lose your benefits.

Now, every Sunday I can file for the previous week.  You can file starting at 12:01 am on Saturday night.  The sooner you file the sooner they pay you.  I filed online at about 9 am on Sunday morning and by Monday the money was in my account.  Not a bad turn around.  I said the money was in my account.  That’s not entirely accurate.

The way they pay you is by putting the money into a Wells Fargo savings account accessible with a very restricted debit card.  You get charged for too many withdrawals, too many balance inquiries, for trying to take out money that isn’t there, and for calling customer service.  You can avoid fees by going into the bank, so there’s that at least.  I just took out $340 (increments of twenty) and put it in my checking account.  You can elect to have paper checks sent but for most people there is too much of a lag between filing and receiving the check.

That’s my unemployment experience.  I’m using the money and the time to blog, read, and learn how to program iOS applications.  I’d love to start a company that is completely digital someday but I need the apps first (and a large pile of money).  Baby steps.  Maybe I’ll get the Jeopardy call soon and I can jumpstart this thing!

Good luck during the winter months.  Stay warm, use the time to better yourself and your skill set, and stay active. 

Handmark

2008  The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (iPad App), Oxford University Press, 2nd ed.   Developed by Handmark, Inc.

Shovel Pit Testing An extensive survey technique to sample the content of topsoil within a defined area by taking a fixed volume of soil (usually a shovelful) out of the ground and sieving/screening it to separate out and quantify the artifact population.  Widely used in the field evaluation of large areas in order to identify buried sites and define their approximate extent.

(My thoughts...There are usually at least two commonly used sizes of shovel test pit (STP).  Some are 30 cm in diameter and some are 50 cm square.  It depends upon the state you are working in.  Unless a sterile soil level has been identified STPs often go as deep as either the water table or the deepest you can reach with a shovel.  Occasionally you will continue with an auger.)

#57 Shovelbums Guide Part 9.1: Holiday Wish List

I listen to a lot of science and skepticism podcasts that often do a “Holiday Wish-List” episode about this time.  While I’m a pretty hardcore atheist, I still love Christmas.  I think it’s more a love of the time of year and the festive attitude.  Actually, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  It’s Christmas without the pressure of giving presents.

Thanksgiving and Christmas aren’t what they used to be for me.  I’m sure a lot of people have this experience as they grow up.  You start to have fewer family gatherings as families grow in size and you create a family of your own.  My family was never all that big and I don’t have a family of my own (aside from my lovely wife!) but nevertheless our gatherings have dropped off.  That being said, I still love the two holidays.

So, here is the first part of my “Holiday Wish List”.  I’ll include examples from the web of each product.  I understand that there could be any number of things added to this list and I encourage people to comment to that fact at the bottom of this post.  I also understand that there are likely better brands of certain products that I’m not aware of.  The point of this list is for new and experienced archaeologists to show to family members and loved ones so they have an idea of what to get them for their jobs.  If you’re like me, archaeology is more than a job, it’s a lifestyle and a passion.  I received my compass and my metal clipboard as Christmas presents and I’ve used them ever since.

Again, to keep the post from getting out of hand, this is the first part of several.

Brunton Ecipse 8099 (I have this one and love it!)Compass A compass is one of the most basic tools that every archaeologist needs.  You typically use a compass for just about every phase of archaeology.  Some attributes to look for include the ability to adjust the declination, a sighting mirror (for the “hold in your palm types), a clinometer, liquid filled reservoir for the needle (faster and finer movement), and commonly used scales around the edges.  The link is to the compasses page on REI’s website.  I would recommend, if you are a member, getting as much of your equipment at REI as possible.  It might cost a bit more than some other sites but there is a lifetime guarantee on everything they sell.  If you are a member you can bring your broken compass back, even 20 years later, and get a new one.  We are hard on equipment and it’s worth it.

Trowel A trowel is something that the archaeologist in your life likely already has.  Trowels are more valuable than their children to most archaeologists.  Actually, most archaeologists don’t have children, but they have trowels.  That doesn’t make any sense but I’ll continue anyway.  There are two main types of trowels: the pointed trowel and the margin trowel.  Pointed trowels come in different sizes and shapes.  There are short ones, long ones, ones with curved edges and ones with straight edges.  Everyone has their preference as to which they prefer.  Margin trowels, or square trowels, are typically all the same.  The standard, smaller, size is adequate for most jobs.  I often prefer my margin trowel because I can excavate and clean up my walls and corners with it.

Square TrowelThe maker of the trowel is also important to a lot of archaeologists.  The name you mostly hear associated with trowels is “Marshalltown”.  Marshalltown is preferred because of it’s construction and durability.  The trowels are forged from a single piece of high carbon steel and can withstand just about anything.  You can get them with a hardwood or synthetic handle.  A popular trowel across the pond is the WHS trowel.  They are similar in construction to the Marshalltown line but have a more rounded handle.

Backpack I’m not going to link to any backpacks because there are just too many styles and options.  Key features to look for include MANY POCKETS, a water reservoir, a waist strap is nice for those long surveys, an included rain cover (the kind that is in it’s own pocket on the backpack), and sealed zippers.  There are different names for them but sealed zippers are generallyIndy's "Man Purse" is not adequate for most archaeologists. covered by a thick piece of nylon-type fabric.  That keeps the dust out and keeps the zippers working longer.  Some archaeologists prefer the messenger type leather bag for their dig kits.  These are sets of tools that they bring to excavations and don’t generally walk long distances with.  They also have that old, antiquey professor look that sometimes field techs mock but secretly desire.  The same rules apply with these bags.  They should have lots of pockets, be of sturdy construction, and have solid buckles or big zippers.

Brushes from StratiBrushes Many archaeologists have a cobbled together set of brushes that they’ve acquired over the years and modified to suit their needs.  A nice set of brushes with their own carrying case like these would be a welcome addition to any dig kit.  The brushes should be of good enough construction so they don’t leave fine hairs behind and they should be somewhat stiff so they can move dust and dirt efficiently.

Chopsticks These are probably the cheapest and easiest gift to give!  I have a set of different sizes of chopsticks that I’ve whittled down to different shapes that suit my needs.  Since you can grab a hand full of them at any Chinese restaurant they are easy to acquire.  They are also easy to shape quickly with a knife.  I have a few that are untouched that I can shape to whatever need I have in a few minutes.

As I said above, this is the first of what will probably be about three posts.  Feel free to suggest anything that you’d like me to cover.  I think I have most of what should be on the list covered in the next few posts but I’m sure I missed something.  Happy buying and digging!

Handmark

2008  The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (iPad App), Oxford University Press, 2nd ed.   Developed by Handmark, Inc.

Trowelling Excavation technique in which a mason’s pointed trowel is used to shave thin slices of material from the floor or face of an excavation unit.  At the start of an excavation the entire trench floor may be cleaned several times by trowelling in different directions in order to identify the position, extent, and nature of archaeological features and their relationships.

#56 Early 18th Century Cemetery Prepares for a Facelift

"Planning Underway for Upgrade of Braintree Cemetery" -Braintree Patch, Braintree, MA

A local CRM firm has put together a plan to preserve the Elm Street Cemetery in Braintree, MA.  The cemetery contains the graves of well known last names in the area and is in serious need of repair.  The first person was burried in the cemetery in 1717.  The article does not say when the last person was burried there.

The management plan, estimated to cost $250,000, includes encouraging visitation, establishing a code of conduct, regular inspections to identify vandalism, broken headstone repair, additional lighting, repointing and restoring tombs, and fixing the perimeter fence and wall.

Barbara Donohue is the cultural resource consultant that put together the plan.

Donohue stresses throughout the report that maintenance has remained inconsistent for decades, even after the association was dissolved and the cemetery was placed under the care of the town. In 2008, the Cemetery Commission was replaced by the Department of Public Works, which oversees four town cemeteries. Most of the attention paid to the cemeteries focuses on the still-active Plain Street cemetery, according to the report.

The cemetery was deemed eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 due to issues with the cemetery's preservation.  Those issues are addressed in the management plan.

Getting the town familiar with Standards of Preservation set down by the Secretary of the Interior is the plan's first priority:

"Our first recommendation, therefore, is that those assuming care for the cemetery, especially the Town’s Department of Public Works, become thoroughly familiar with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Preservation and reaffirm their responsibility as stewards of this historical resource to ensure that future preservation efforts are consistent with sound preservation principles and practices," the report states.

It's nice to see a town that is willing to put money into it's heritage and into local preservation.

Handmark

2008  The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (iPad App), Oxford University Press, 2nd ed.   Developed by Handmark, Inc.

Cemetery Any group of two or more separate or substantive graves.

#55 Chinese traders in the Yukon

"HISTORY: Chinese were early traders in Yukon", from the Canadian Mining Journal

I was on a team that discovered a mid 19th century Spanish coin on the North Carolina Coast once but this is really cool.

A CRM firm in Canada, Ecofor Consulting, discovered a Chinese coin minted between 1667 and 1671 on a proposed new road to a new mine.  The firm was doing a heritage impact assessment for Western Copper and Gold.

The article states that although Chinese coins are common on the west coast, this is only the third coin to have been found in the Yukon.  It was found on a promontory overlooking a river and a creek tributary.  It was a likely place for a traveler to have rested or camped, said James Mooney, the archaeologist with Ecofor.

The coin adds to the body of evidence that the Chinese market connected with Yukon First Nations through Russian and coastal Tlingit trade intermediaries during the late 17^th and 18^th centuries and perhaps as early as the 15^th century. The Chinese coin was found within the Selkirk First Nation traditional territory on the historic trade route from Dyea to Fort Selkirk.

Coins were often brought to the area by Russian traders who traded furs to the Chinese.  The Russians traded  tobacco, tea, beads, firearms, iron implements, kettles, needles, clothing and flour to the Tlinglit in exchange for furs including those of the sea otter, fur seal, fox, beaver, lynx, and marten.

The Tlingit tightly controlled direct trade with the interior First Nations by controlling access to the Chilkoot Pass, one of the few entry points through the coastal mountains to the interior.

The four holes around the perimeter of the coin were not there when the coin was minted.  According to Mooney, "The extra holes could have been made in China - coins were sometimes nailed to a gate, door or ridgepole for good luck."  Mooney says that the First Nations sometimes drilled holes in coins to attach them to clothing, use them as decoration, or sewed them in layers like roofing shingles onto hide shirts as a protection from arrow impacts (17th century bullet proof vests!)

The president and COO of Western Copper and Gold, Paul West-Sells, is satisfied with the work that is being done to contribute to the understanding of the Yukon's heritage.  He also said that, "Heritage resource assessments are an important part of the environment and socio-economic baseline work of any project..."

This sounds like a well run project that is producing fascinating results.  Hopefully Ecofor can continue to have a productive relationship with Western and that Western continues to value not only the heritage of the Yukon but also the dissemination of this information to the public.  Nice job!

Handmark

2008  The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (iPad App), Oxford University Press, 2nd ed.   Developed by Handmark, Inc.

Coin A metal token, usually a disc, with specific weight and value, usually stamped with designs and inscriptions.  The earliest known coins in the world were minted by the kingdom of Lydia in the Near East in the 7th century BC.  The coins, made of electrum, were simply pieces of metal of standardized weight stamped with designs, and later inscriptions, to identify the issuing authority.  It is not exactly certain how they were initially used, but it was probably for high-level ceremonial exchange rather than everyday trade.  After Cyrus the Great gained control of Lydia in the 6th century BC the Achaemenid Persians adopted a gold coinage that typically had a portrait of their king on one side and a punch mark on the other.  The Greek cities of Asia Minor also copied the Lydian idea for coins in the 7th century, after which the idea spread widely throughout Greece.  The first Roman coins were struck in the early 3rd century BC, initially in precious metals but by the later 3rd century in bronze as the "as" and the "denarius" in silver.  The 4th century BC staters of Phillip II and Alexander III of Macedon provided the prototypes for coins in Europe which developed their own sequence based on the use of Celtic art and local designs.

In the Far East, coinage developed in India in the 5th century BC through contacts with Persian/Achaemenid coinage by Mauryans and Kushans.  In China shells and other small items were used as money down to the Zhou Dynasty and beyond, but from the 3rd century BC onwards round coins with a central square hole began to circulate.

#54 The Nevada Day Parade

I've marched in a lot of parades. My first parades were the Monroe Fair Days parades where my brother and I usually got to ride on the fire trucks and toss candy to other kids. Having a grandma that worked at City Hall had its advantages.

For all four years of high school I was in the marching band (jokes all around, I've heard them all). We marched in two, maybe three parades a year. We always got a lot of cheers and people waving and yelling. It was a great time.

During my time in the Navy I was part of the Crackerjack Marching Unit. In the 11 months I was there we marched in at least 45 parades from Louisiana at Mardi Gras all the way up to central Nevada. We were always a hit and marched to cheers and thanks.

Those were moments that made me proud to be a part of those groups. However, I've never been more proud than when I marched with the strong people of the Reno Coalition of Reason in the Nevada Day Parade this morning.

We all had fun this morning but it was still tough. There were few cheers and waves. Mostly there was silence. A few people yelled things like yay god and such. To the crowd's credit there were no angry comments and no one threw anything. We all kept our spirits up, kept smiles on our faces, and were undaunted in our task. Now we are sitting at lunch talking about how fun it was.

It's a great day to be a freethinker! I'm looking forward to the great things that this group can and will accomplish.

Written in Carson City, Nevada

(I apologize for however the photos look. The Squarspace app for iPhone is less than ideal.)