Grad School!

I'm graduating in a few weeks, and art history graduate school is right around the corner. Here's a list of my top choices, in alphabetical order. Any comments about any of the schools on this list are highly appreciated!

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - New York, New York

HARVARD UNIVERSITY - Cambridge, Massachusetts

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY - Evanston, Illinois

THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO - Chicago, Illinois

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND - College Park, Maryland

THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON - Seattle, Washington

YALE UNIVERSITY - New Haven, Connecticut

Evolution On Trial

The theory of evolution by natural selection is on trial in the state of Kansas.
The Kansas State Board of Education will hear a plethora of arguments on both sides, evolutionist and creationist (or "intelligent design" as it is now known) to determine what will be taught to students in Kansas' public schools. As always, I have my own opinion on the matter.

For starters, I think everyone should know that evolution is not just a "theory." In scientific terms, a "theory" means something that has been tried and tested over and over and over again. What is known in colloquial terms as a "theory" is called a "hypothesis" in science. Other examples of theories in science include everything from Einstein's theory of relativity to less debatable topics like the theory of gravity.

That being said, I feel that both sides of this debate need to understand something. Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection does not account for how life actually began, it only accounts for how life evolved. Thus, it is very possible to be both a creationist and an evolutionist, simply by saying that the creator created life and evolution led it to its current state. It was for this same reason that in 2002 Pope John Paul II decreed that nothing in the theory of evolution contradicted biblical teachings, and that it was OK by him. (The current pope feels differently.)

But we shouldn't teach intelligent design in schools. First off, it has no scientific basis. You can make the argument that we should include it since we include teaching many other philosophical perspectives (like Aristotle for instance), but if you include one version of creationism, you must also include ALL creation stories, from the Iroquois to the Incas to the Chinese. Science is the only way we can decide what can and cannot be taught in a classroom setting. It may not be a perfect tool, but it is the best tool we have, and we should respect it.

In time, theories like evolution will be perfected and made into laws. Until then, it would create educational havoc to teach things in a science course without any scientific basis. If you want your child to be taught "intelligent design" (which if you ask me isn't so intelligent, but that's another discussion) then send your child to a private religious school. Until then, separation of church and state, as well as church and science.

Want To End Religion? Then Don't Cook Your Food!

Shewara recently directed me to the website of the person who just might be the most crazily out-there man on the planet. His name is David "Avocado" Wolfe. I encourage you to check out his website, www.davidwolfe.com, and explore to no end.

But what is he all about? What makes him so nuts? Well read for yourself . . .

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Long ago, say the ancient legends, men and women walked with God in paradise, enjoying life to a degree we can’t imagine now. And then something terrible happened! And ever since, the world has been full of disease and suffering. So, what happened? People who've tried the natural raw-food diet for a few months will tell you that cooking is where we went wrong! Eating cooked food does many things to make life miserable, such as:

• Fills the body with waste matters, causing frequent colds, flu, and many diseases.
• Diminishes vitality & intelligence, causing depression, premature aging, religion, and atheism.
• Over-acidifies the body chemistry, causes cravings for drugs and alcohol.
• Causes spiritual separation from nature, leading to cities, ugly art, pollution, and government.

Raw-food eating is normal , all other creatures on earth do it, cooking causes a vast amount of unnecessary disease and pain. If you think maybe it might be a good idea to finally try to get back to normal way of life before things on earth get even worse, then try eating raw foods!

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Many of my readers hear me complaining about crappy art. And now we can end it, just by ceasing to cook our food! If only Jackson Pollock had been a David Wolfe fan....

I Kinda Miss Peru

I was at a party last night with a bunch of archaeologists, many of whom work in the Andes, and I decided that I sorta miss Peru. I had been talking with one of my professors earlier in the week, and she was telling me about a big trip she had planned through the southern half of the country, to these beautiful and exotic locales full or archaeological and geologic wonder. I kinda want to go back to the Andes and hike up Huayna Picchu again, or trot through the desert in search of skeletons, or eat anticuchos from the nice lady on the corner in Trujillo. It was fun. Plus I like speaking Spanish - it makes me feel smart.

Maybe it is just because I am obsessed with mountains. I always have been. As I noted previously, even when I was in Peru I missed my flat Illinois, but there really is nothing that can compare with the majesty of large snow-capped peaks looming above you. I want to go hiking in some mountains, and the Andes are the best place to do it. Plus I saw "The Motorcycle Diaries" recently, and it made me think of Peru and its mountains too.

Or maybe it is because soon I will be going off to graduate school to work in Africa for theoretically the rest of my life. I don't want to be stuck in any one place, I want to go everywhere. Maybe the thought of having to work there forever - something I really don't want to do - makes me think of the possibility of working in a place that is a lot less foreign and scary to me, since I lived there for two months. Plus I know the language, and I like the food. I can't conceive of African food as very good. (Peru did, however, totally screw up the concept of "hamburger" - but they did have ceviche, and that made up for it.)

Who knows. Maybe I am just freaking out as graduation grows near, or maybe I really do want to work in Peru. Or Chile. Or somewhere down there with people I know and like. Or maybe I don't feel like working in any one place, just spending the rest of my life wandering the globe with my favorite traveling partner. But can we at least go hike up the Andes? They have really good ceviche....