Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/06/claudia-traisac-dating-josh-hutcherson/
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Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Trayvon Martin murder case: Opening clash on shooter's motive
(Editor's note: This story contains language in the 4th paragraph that some readers may find offensive)
By Tom Brown and Barbara Liston
SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) - Neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin simply because "he wanted to," because he was an armed vigilante, and because he viewed the 17-year-old whom he'd never met as just another "punk," a prosecutor said in opening statements to the jury in a trial that promises to raise thorny issues of race and gun rights.
In a case that centers on a shooting that occurred without a clear eyewitness on a rainy, dark night more than a year ago, prosecutor John Guy sought to cut through doubts surrounding the incident in a fiery 30-minute opening statement that branded Zimmerman as the aggressor for the six jurors who will decide the case.
As the second-degree murder trial opened in earnest after two weeks of jury selection and evidentiary rulings, the prosecutor began by bluntly quoting from Zimmerman's call to a police dispatcher after first spotting the unarmed, black teen.
"'Fucking punks. These assholes, they always get away'," Guy repeated, going on to say those were the "hate-filled words he used to describe a total stranger."
Zimmerman's defense attorney Don West opened with his own unusual gambit, opting to tell a "knock-knock" joke, which fell flat in the courtroom. "Knock knock. Who's there? George Zimmerman. George Zimmerman who? Good, you're on the jury," he said.
West went on to offer a wholly different view of his client - who is out on bail and appeared in court wearing a charcoal gray suit - and the events of February 26, 2012 in a gated community in Sanford, Florida.
Zimmerman was "viciously attacked" by Martin and acted in self-defense, attorney Don West said.
In his 2-1/2 hour statement to the jury, the defense attorney said a witness, who he identified as a homeowner near the site of the altercation, would testify about a man clad in the color of the clothing Martin was wearing "mounting" a man on the ground in mixed martial arts fashion and "basically beating him senseless."
West said contrary to what has often been said about the case, Martin was not unarmed. "Trayvon Martin armed himself with the concrete sidewalk and used it to smash George Zimmerman's head ... That is a deadly weapon," he said.
Zimmerman showed no emotion as he stared straight ahead and away from the prosecutor.
The parents of both Zimmerman and Martin were seated on different sides of the courtroom at the start of the day, but Zimmerman's parents were quickly instructed to leave after the prosecution said they might be called as witnesses.
Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, later left the courtroom when West played the jury a tape of a 911 call in which screams can be heard before the fatal shot. "To sit there and hear her child's final moments was very tough," said Daryl Parks, a lawyer for the Martin family.
Both families say the screams on the tape came from their son, but the FBI has been unable to say conclusively whose voice it is.
Zimmerman, 29 and part Hispanic, was the neighborhood watch captain in the Retreat at Twin Lakes community in Sanford at the time of the killing. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge of second-degree murder and could face life imprisonment if convicted.
Martin was a student at a Miami-area high school and a guest of one of the homeowners. He was walking back to the residence after buying snacks at a nearby convenience store when he was shot in the chest during a confrontation with Zimmerman.
Much of what happened during the fatal encounter is still a mystery. Neighbors who provided differing versions of what they glimpsed of the altercation are expected to testify during the trial. Also to testify is a girl who was on the phone with Martin moments before his death and says she heard the events unfold until the line went dead.
HIGH BAR FOR THE PROSECUTION
Guy portrayed Zimmerman as a man with a concealed weapon who committed a vigilante-style killing, not a dutiful watch guard on alert for signs of suspicious activity after a string of robberies in his neighborhood.
"George Zimmerman did not shoot Trayvon Martin because he had too. He shot him for the worst of all reasons, because he wanted to," said Guy, the prosecutor.
Guy also told the jury there was "irrefutable physical evidence" that showed Zimmerman was lying when he told police that Martin attacked him. No blood or DNA from Zimmerman was found on Martin's hands or elsewhere on his body or clothing, he said. That is despite Zimmerman's claims that Martin punched him to the ground and covered his bleeding, broken nose with his bare hands as he pounded his head into the ground.
Six jurors, all women, were selected last week to hear the racially charged murder case against Zimmerman. They will be sequestered for the duration of the trial, which is expected to last two to four weeks.
The case triggered civil rights protests and debates about alleged treatment of blacks as second-class citizens under the U.S. justice system, since police did not arrest Zimmerman for 44 days.
However, there is a high bar for the prosecution to prove second degree murder which requires them to show that Zimmerman acted with "ill will, hatred, spite or an evil intent," and showed "an indifference to human life," according to Florida jury instructions.
Under Florida's Stand Your Ground law, which was approved in 2005 and has since been copied by about 30 other states, people fearing for their lives can use deadly force without having to retreat from a confrontation, even when it is possible.
(Additional reporting and writing by David Adams and Paul Thomasch. Editing by Peter Henderson and Grant McCool)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/murder-trial-begins-earnest-floridas-trayvon-martin-case-050411255.html
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Monday, June 24, 2013
Congo defends Chinese mining companies
GOMA, Congo (AP) ? Congo's information minister described a recently published Amnesty International report on working conditions in the country's mines as "unfairly targeting" Chinese companies.
In a media briefing Saturday, Minister Lambert Mende said the government had taken note of the serious accusations in the report and was concerned about conditions for miners, but he questioned why Chinese firms had been singled out for criticism.
He said: "Mining companies in Katanga (the Congo's copper belt province) are of 30 different nationalities, and none of them offer their employees and clients different conditions to the Chinese companies."
The Amnesty report details three case studies including two directly involving Chinese companies. The latter cases involved the forced eviction of 300 families and a confrontation with police in which a protestor was shot dead.
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Sunday, June 23, 2013
A look into Google's visual design guidelines
A treasure trove of cohesive design principles for developers and designers everywhere
As Google's Android matures, we all can see the shift in focus to great design. Google has long been at the forefront of the technology, offering services and features that most of us use every day, but it's clear that Mountain View now cares as much how their products look as they do how they work.
Getting a glimpse into Google's design language for Android usually means looking at the apps while you're using them, or opening up the files and studying the assets themselves. While Google offers some rudimentary suggestions at the Android developer site, that's only part of the picture. Developers and designers need to know how it all fits together. Apps, the web, and all the services under Google's umbrella.
Source: Behance (part 1), (part 2)
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/9mRWjDSoHuY/story01.htm
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Monkey nips at Texas officer during traffic stop
ARANSAS PASS, Texas (AP) ? A South Texas police officer had to deal with some unexpected monkey business as he wrote a speeding ticket.
A pet monkey bit Aransas (uh-RAN'-zuhs) Pass Officer Keith Moore on the hand in an attack captured on videotape.
KRIS-TV in Corpus Christi reported Thursday (http://bit.ly/14b9fO0) that Moore had a video camera on his glasses during the traffic stop.
Moore is seen handing the driver something to sign when a monkey leaps from the back seat, bares its teeth and bites the officer's right hand.
Moore says the monkey "came out of nowhere" during Wednesday's incident. The bite left a mark, but the 21-year-old officer wasn't hurt otherwise.
The trained monkey makes appearances at carnivals and other entertainment events.
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Information from: KRIS-TV, http://www.kristv.com
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Saturday, June 22, 2013
Gerard Depardieu banned from driving in France
Celebs 
9 hours ago
? Eric Gaillard / Reuters
Gerard Depardieu.
PARIS - French actor Gerard Depardieu was banned from driving for six months on Friday, after he was found to be three times over the alcohol limit when he fell from his scooter last year.
The 64-year-old star of films such as "Green Card" and "Cyrano de Bergerac" was not in the Paris court to hear its decision to suspend his driving license and fine him 4,000 euros ($5,300). Drunk-driving can be punishable by up to two years' jail.
The flamboyant actor, who owns a vineyard in the Loire valley, injured his elbow but nobody else when he fell from the scooter in the capital in mid-afternoon last November.
With top roles in more than 100 movies, one of the country's best-known actors has made the headlines on many occasions for reasons other than his film career.
The scooter fall came a few months after a car driver filed a suit against Depardieu for assault and battery following an altercation in Paris.
The year before, Depardieu outraged passengers by urinating in the aisle of an Air France flight as it prepared to take off.
Depardieu criticized the left-wing government last year over high taxes and took President Vladimir Putin up on an offer of a Russian passport.
He has appeared in ketchup advertisements in Russia, which has a flat tax rate of 13 percent on income, compared with more than 40 percent in France where the government plans a supertax of 75 percent on incomes above 1 million euros.
Depardieu said his decision to take Russian nationality and plan to open a restaurant in the city of Saransk were not motivated by tax concerns. He is considering shooting a film in Chechnya, where he was seen this year embracing strongman leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
Commenting on Friday's court ruling, Depardieu's lawyer, Eric de Caumont, said: "Naturally we are disappointed to the extent that we had sought an acquittal."
Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.
Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/gerard-depardieu-banned-driving-france-6C10409282
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Iceland businessman says plane ready for Snowden
REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) ? An Icelandic business executive said Friday that a private plane is on standby to transport National Security Agency secrets leaker Edward Snowden from Hong Kong to Iceland.
Olafur Vignir Sigurvinsson said he has not spoken directly with Snowden but has been in touch with a third party representing him.
The businessman, who has connections to the WikiLeaks secret-spilling organization, said he has access to planes in Hong Kong and mainland China that Snowden could use.
But Iceland's government says it has not received an asylum request from Snowden, who has revealed his role in providing secret NSA documents about widespread surveillance programs.
Iceland Interior Ministry spokesman Johannes Tomasson said Snowden hasn't approached the ministry and could initiate an asylum request if he was already in Iceland.
When asked about the reports of Sigurvinsson chartering a private plane to fly Snowden to Iceland, Tomasson said: "We don't object to that. But we don't have any knowledge other than what has been in the news. We can't comment any further on that."
U.S. officials have expressed an interest in prosecuting Snowden for his admitted role in the publication of the documents. Snowden fled to Hong Kong and is hiding.
Sigurvinsson said that Snowden's potential private flight is being funded by private donations.
"There are a number of people that are interested in freedom of speech and recognize the importance of knowing who is spying on us," he said. "We are people that care about privacy."
Money is being raised on Snowden's behalf by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee based in the United States, but it was not immediately clear if any of these funds would be used for the flight.
Sigurvinsson is a former director of DataCell, a data hosting service provider that, as one of its services, processed donations for WikiLeaks. He previously worked for investment and technology companies, including Baugur Group, MerkurPoint and iCell.
He said his group hopes to obtain Icelandic citizenship for Snowden.
"We are hoping that the government does what they did with Bobby Fischer," he said, referring to the late chess master who went to Iceland to escape U.S. prosecution for breaking sanctions imposed on the former Yugoslavia. "We will see what happens."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iceland-businessman-says-plane-ready-snowden-133414615.html
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Samsung Galaxy NX mirrorless camera official: Interchangeable lenses, Android Jelly Bean and 4G LTE
True to JK Shin's promise, Samsung is indeed introducing a new Android-powered mirrorless camera: the Galaxy NX. Although it runs Google's mobile OS (version 4.2.2 Jelly Bean) and bears LTE radios, the NX is not quite a direct sequel to the Galaxy Camera, the company's glorified point-and-shoot for all comers. Rather, the Galaxy NX is what Samsung calls an interchangeable-lens CSC (or Compact System Camera), featuring a 20.3-megapixel APS-C sensor, as well as 3G / 4G LTE, WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity -- making it worthy of that Galaxy moniker.
As you can tell from the above image, the Galaxy NX also packs a large 4.8-inch HD LCD display on its rear and is powered by a 1.6GHz Pega-Q quad-core setup and separate DRIMe IV Signal processor for imaging. The UI should look pretty familiar to anyone who's used an Android device before, with the common apps and widgets submenus, as well as the device wheel for its 30 Smart Modes -- employed when selecting imaging settings. And if you happen to own any of the company's other NX cameras, you'll be able to swap out lenses (13 in all) as the Galaxy NX is fully compatible with that range. It also incorporates a hybrid AF, culled from the best of DSLRs and compacts, with a shutter speed of 1/6,000th of a second and 8.6fps shooting.
Samsung's been pretty forthcoming about all the tech and software it's put into the Galaxy NX, but there are two key bits it's still withholding: pricing and availability. For now, it appears UK residents will have first crack at the Galaxy NX, as PR pegs its release for that territory as sometime this summer. The same, however, can't be said for a US launch. Regardless, as the Galaxy NX is more a proper camera for experienced photogs and less Android phone like the Galaxy Camera and S4 Zoom, you can bet on its price tag being relatively high. In the meantime, check out our Galaxy NX hands-on for more detailed impressions.
Filed under: Cameras, Wireless, Mobile, Samsung, Google
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Friday, June 21, 2013
Microsoft changes Xbox One policies after outcry
NEW YORK (AP) -- Microsoft rolled back a much-criticized requirement that its upcoming Xbox One gaming console be regularly connected to the Internet and made clear that there will be no limitations on sharing games.
Microsoft Corp. has been criticized for vague statements about whether it will allow Xbox One buyers to play secondhand software. Gamers also expressed distaste for a requirement that the console be connected to the Internet once every 24 hours.
Don Mattrick, president of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment business, said in a blog post Wednesday that an Internet connection will no longer be required to play games on the Xbox One after its initial setup, and users can share and play games like they have on the Xbox 360.
Mattrick said the changes are in response to feedback Microsoft received since unveiling plans for the console in May.
"You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you," he wrote. "Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world."
In a shot aimed at Microsoft, rival Sony Corp. announced during last week's Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles that its upcoming PlayStation 4 will not require a regular Internet connection to work and that the company won't try to restrict used game sales.
Both consoles will go on sale later this year, the Xbox One at $499 and the PS4 at $399.
--
Online:
Mattrick's post: http://news.xbox.com/2013/06/update
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Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Monday, May 20, 2013
Dior presents cruise fashions amid stars in Monaco
MONACO (AP) ? The glittering star power of Cannes migrated up the coast to Monaco for front-row seats at Dior's colorful, sexy cruise fashion show.
With the Mediterranean Sea the picturesque backdrop, Dior showcased its 2014 collection on Saturday night. It was a wet, cold and generally miserable outside the white stage, but Raf Simons' designs provided the shimmering summery lift for the evening.
Among those on hand were Oscar-winner and Dior spokeswoman Marion Cotillard, actresses Ruth Wilson and Jessica Biel, and Prince Albert of Monaco, along with his fashionable wife, Princess Charlene.
Before the show, Biel called Dior's fashions beautiful, saying she also appreciated them because they were made for real woman. If that was the case, such women are dynamic gazelles who even in their downtime have multiple agendas.
There were sheer lace cover-ups, brightly colored dresses, and jackets and coats made of wool.
In press materials provided at the show, Simons explained his inspiration to prominently feature lace in the collection.
"I never worked with lace before," he said. "It was about transforming the meaning of the material; not romantic, not historical, not old, to something light, playful, colorful and modern ? with energy."
Many of the pieces had an effervescent feel, like the metallic blended with sheer lace and a strip of a coral floral print in one dress; a wool jacket and pants were made vibrant with bright red color.
But there were other outfits that had a more traditional look, like a flowing spaghetti-strap red dress that hit mid-calf at the front but draped near the floor in the back, and the one-piece bathing suits that harkened back to old-style Hollywood glamour ? particularly a brilliant blue piece with ruching in the back.
After an enthusiastic ovation for the show, guests such as Liv Tyler were shuttled to the Oceanographic Museum nearby as Prince Albert and his wife threw a reception that showcased some of the fashions ? including Dior ? worn by his late mother, Princess Grace.
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http://www.dior.com
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Follow Nekesa Mumbi Moody at http://www.twitter.com/nekesamumbi
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dior-presents-cruise-fashions-amid-stars-monaco-123933061.html
Sunday, May 19, 2013
IRS head grilled by Congress
Outgoing IRS Commissioner Steven Miller apologized Friday on behalf of the Internal Revenue Service for unfairly targeting conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status, but said "partisanship" was not the reason for the agency's practices.
?First and foremost, as acting commissioner, I want to apologize on behalf of the Internal Revenue Service,? Miller said before a House Ways and Means Committee hearing.
The IRS is under fire for placing heavier scrutiny on organizations with words like "tea party" or "patriots" in their name when they applied for nonprofit status between 2010 and 2012, according to a report unveiled this week by the Treasury Department's inspector general for tax administration.
Miller, who at the time was deputy commissioner for services and enforcement, went on to say in his brief opening statement that "foolish mistakes were made" in the handling of the applications.
?I do not believe that partisanship motivated the people that engaged in the practices described in the inspector general?s report,? Miller said. ?Foolish mistakes were made by people who were trying to be more efficient in their work.?
Sitting next to Miller at the hearing, Treasury Inspector General J. Russell George testified that in his investigation he "did not" find evidence that the agency's decisions were motivated by politics.
Lawmakers from both parties grilled Miller, questioning him about when he learned of the agency's practices, probing into why the agency singled out organizations with conservative leanings for heavier scrutiny, and asking whether the IRS disclosed private tax information to other government agencies.
Miller repeatedly denied that the IRS intentionally used political criteria to determine levels of scrutiny on groups applying for tax-exempt status.
"Generally, we provided horrible customer service here. I will admit that, we did," Miller said when questioned by Rep. Pat Tiberi, an Ohio Republican. "Horrible customer service. Whether it is politically motivated or not is a very different question."
When asked to point to specific employees within the IRS who were responsible, Miller declined. ?I don?t have names for you,? he told Texas Republican Rep. Kevin Brady.
Also at Friday's hearing, California Republican Rep. Devin Nunes questioned Miller about why he resigned from his position as a result of the IRS' practices. Earlier this week, President Barack Obama announced that Miller would step down.
"I never said I didn't do anything wrong, Mr. Nunes," Miller said. "I resigned because, as the acting commissioner, what happens in the IRS, whether I was personally involved or not, stops at my desk. So I should be held accountable for what happens. Whether I was personally involved or not are very different questions, sir."
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Friday, May 17, 2013
Google Glass Just Got Some New Glassware (Aka Apps)
While Glass is flying under the radar at I/O, Google has just announced that CNN, Elle, Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook and Evernote are joining the "Glassware" fray. Previously, only Path and The New York Times were the only other apps available for Glass.
Most of the functionality for each new app is surprisingly full(ish) featured. After all, it's not like there's a lot of screen real estate.
Elle's "Glassware," for instance, lets readers swipe through photos from a story in the magazine or have stories read aloud to them. You can even pick a particular section to peruse or pin stories for reading later.
CNN's app lets you pick the types of alerts you want to get like sports scores or breaking news at specific times. Clips can also be read aloud to you. You can even watch videos!
Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr feeds can be curated for certain individuals so you're not inundated with EVERYTHING going on. You can even upload a photo directly to Facebook. With Twitter, if you have mobile notifications turned on for certain accounts, those will get pushed to Glass. You can even send and receive DMs.
And if you're a big Evernote user, Glass will be able to access notes that have been created from your desktop and shared to Glass.
Source: http://gizmodo.com/while-glass-is-flying-under-the-radar-at-i-o-google-ha-507598884
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Follow the Google I/O 2013 Keynote with Android Central!
What a week in mobile we're seeing. First Nokia, then BlackBerry, and today it's over to Google. Our buddies Phil Nickinson and Jerry Hildenbrand from Android Central are on the ground in San Francisco for Google I/O 2013. Today is go time, with Google's three hour long monster keynote due to kick off this morning, afternoon or evening depending on whereabouts in the world you are.
The times you'll want to know:
- 09:00 Pacific Time
- 12:00 Eastern Time
- 17:00 British Summer Time
- 18:00 Central European Time
Last year's Google I/O saw the folks from Mountain View drop Chrome for iOS into our laps, and while no-one dropped out of the sky to deliver it to us, it was still a pretty big announcement. Google makes some fantastic apps for iOS, and has really upped their game in the past 12 months so we're looking forward to see what may come our way today.
Google will be livestreaming the event, but the absolute best coverage will come from Phil and Jerry from the show floor. Be sure to follow it all on Android Central beginning later today, and over the coming days.
What would you like to see Google bring to iOS from Google I/O? Personally, I'm hoping for Google Maps for iPad and a Google Keep application. Let us know what you'd like to see in the comments below!
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/BRp16RFkgpQ/story01.htm
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Thursday, May 16, 2013
'Dancing With the Stars' reveals its final 4
TV 
15 minutes ago
ABC
It was the end of the road to mirror ball glory for Kym Johnson and Ingo Rademacher on Tuesday.
On the night of its 300th episode, "Dancing With the Stars" revealed its season 16 finalists with little fanfare. But what was there to celebrate, really? Just earlier in the day, ABC had announced that next season, the very results show that aired Tuesday night would be a thing of the past, wrapped into a two-hour extravaganza that will take place only on Mondays. (Not that "DWTS" addressed this development.)
But the (existing) show must go on, so the ballroom bash drummed up what little drama it could with the couples it put under the spotlights of shame: "General Hospital" actor Ingo Rademacher and partner Kym Johnson, and Disney star Zendaya and pro Valentin Chmerkovskiy. Yes, Zendaya, the teen who has ruled the scoreboard since the first day of the season, was in jeopardy.
When the in-studio audience heard the news, their boos were long and loud. After all, Monday's senseless scoring had possibly contributed to her current predicament. After delivering a high-speed quickstep that wasn't quite as good as she usually is (and it certainly wasn't bad), Zendaya received a smackdown from the judges in the form of a 25-point score. That was just 1 point higher than Ingo's sloppy samba that happened to be his best dance of the season.
But the teen didn't need to worry for long. As the show prepared to the reveal the results, co-host Brooke Burke noted that the couples awaiting their fates were "not necessarily the bottom two." (You don't say!) The results were as many -- including Ingo -- had predicted: The soap star had fallen just one week shy of the finale.
"If I don?t go home ... somebody else is going to be very upset," Ingo had told the cameras after Monday's performance show.
The soap star was gracious in his exit. "This has been an amazing experience because I thought I?d be done in like, two weeks," he said after his elimination. "Kym has choreographed the most amazing routines and catered them to my two left feet."
As for the final four of Zendaya, Kellie Pickler, Aly Raisman and Jacoby Jones, "I really want to see them battle it out because I think it?s really close competition," Ingo said.
That finale battle next week will have three rounds of competition, including what host Tom Bergeron called a "supersized freestyle," as well as "all sorts of tricks."
Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/dancing-stars-reveals-its-final-4-1C9928674
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Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Why Humans Took Up Farming: They Like To Own Stuff
Prehistoric "pantries": This illustration is based on archaeological findings in Jordan of structures built to store extra grain some 11,000-12,000 years ago.
Illustration by E. Carlson/Courtesy of Dr. Ian Kuijt/University of Notre DamePrehistoric "pantries": This illustration is based on archaeological findings in Jordan of structures built to store extra grain some 11,000-12,000 years ago.
Illustration by E. Carlson/Courtesy of Dr. Ian Kuijt/University of Notre DameFor decades, scientists have believed our ancestors took up farming some 12,000 years ago because it was a more efficient way of getting food. But a growing body of research suggests that wasn't the case at all.
"We know that the first farmers were shorter, they were more prone to disease than the hunter-gatherers," says Samuel Bowles, the director of the Behavioral Sciences Program at the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico, describing recent archaeological research.
Bowles' own work has found that the earliest farmers expended way more calories in growing food than they did in hunting and gathering it. "When you add it all up, it was not a bargain," says Bowles.
So why farm? Bowles lays out his theory in a new study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The reasons are complex, but they revolve around the concept of private property.
Think of these early farmers as prehistoric suburbanites of sorts. The first farmers emerged in less than a dozen spots in Asia and South America. Bowles says they were already living in small villages. They owned their houses and other objects, like jewelry, boats and a range of tools, including fishing gear.
They still hunted and foraged, but they didn't have to venture far for food: They had picked fertile places to settle down, and so food was abundant. For example, one group in what is present-day Iraq lived close to a gazelle migration route. During migration season, it was easy pickings ? they killed more animals than they could eat in one sitting. They also harvested more grain from wild plants than they knew what to do with. And so, they built "pantries" ? structures where they could store the extra food.
This granary uncovered in Jordan shows that people stored wild grain even before they were farming it.
Courtesy of Dr. Ian Kuijt/University of Notre DameThis granary uncovered in Jordan shows that people stored wild grain even before they were farming it.
Courtesy of Dr. Ian Kuijt/University of Notre DameThese societies had seen the value of owning stuff ? they were already recognizing "private property rights," says Bowles. That's a big transition from nomadic cultures, which by and large don't recognize individual property. All resources, even in modern day hunter-gatherers, are shared with everyone in the community.
But the good times didn't last forever in these prehistoric villages. In some places, the weather changed for the worse. In other places, the animals either changed their migratory route or dwindled in numbers.
At this point, Bowles says these communities had a choice: They could either return to a nomadic lifestyle, or stay put in the villages they had built and "use their knowledge of seeds and how they grow, and the possibility of domesticating animals."
Stay put, they did. And over time, they also grew in numbers. Why? Because the early farmers had one advantage over their nomadic cousins: Raising kids is much less work when one isn't constantly on the move. And so, they could and did have more children.
In other words, Bowles thinks early cultures that recognized private property gave people a reason to plant roots in one place and invent farming ? and stick with it despite its initial failures.
Bowles admits that this is just an informed theory. But to test it, he and his colleague Jung-Kyoo Choi built a mathematical model that simulated social and environmental conditions among early hunter-gatherers. In this simulation, farming evolved only in groups that recognized private property rights. What's more, in the simulations, once farming met private property, the two reinforced each other and spread through the world.
Bowles' theory offers a more nuanced explanation that ties together cultural, environmental and technological realities facing those first farmers, says Ian Kuijt, an anthropologist at the University of Notre Dame who specializes in the origins of agriculture.
But, he says, the challenge is to figure out who owned the property back then and how they ran it. "Was it owned by one individual?" Kuijt says. "Was it a mother and father and their children? ... Does it represent community or village property?"
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Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Benghazi, IRS, immigration and repealing 'Obamacare' (again): The week to come in Congress (Washington Post)
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