Shwa

The lack of evidence to date would strongly suggest they never made it? Oh my. Did you know that at one time it was orthodox to not dig below the Clovis horizon because there was no evidence of pre-Clovis people in the Americas? Since no evidence was ever found of pre-Clovis people, it strongly suggested that there were none. So don't bother digging below the horizon. If it's not there, why look for it? Besides, any evidence of anything pre-Clovis - or even from a much longer time period ago - will end up in endless controversy in the establishment. Well up until fairly recently of course. Pre-Clovis archaeology on this continent is in it's infancy which is what the lack of evidence strongly suggests as well. That genetics don't lie is a very good point, but fails to recognize that interpretations of incomplete data, left to fallible beings may end up with results that are refuted at a later date. Although I would say that the picture we get sometimes, even from the best science, is a pale expression of how truly deep and complex the lifeways of our ancestors actually were. I suppose the overriding thought should be: stay tuned.

Notwithstanding I was joking... Are computers in each and every classroom a kid is going to learn in? How about those 'outdoor classrooms?' Why pencils when we have pens? Why teachers when we have parents? All other extra "devices" for learning. Gawd, you are probably not even 30 and already you are a cranky old man. Get out of the way of progress GH, you might get your toes run over.

Oh gawd no, I was referring to places with rampant crime like Edmonton. The Shwa is way down the list. I agree although I would prefer Muay Thai providing there is no hoofing someone in the head when they are down. Elbow to the face - yes; punching someone on the ground - no. The other aspect of Muay Thai is that it is great athletic conditioning for other sports, most martial arts are. No doubt. When I was in high school, WAY back in the day, I saw a fight in the locker bays between a large 6' + bully farmboy and a smaller city kid who was one of the youngest in Canada to achieve a blackbelt in something or another. The fight was over in one simple kick to the face of said farmboy. I am not sure if city kid broke farmboys nose, but there was a lot of blood flowing out of it. It was a thing of beauty actually. Step-leap-boot. Fight over. So long as they don't beat on a man when he is down and allow him to get back up to fight, they are protecting our cultural traditions from the gutless savagery of MMA.

Are you certain about the requirement for glaciation, extremely inhospitable environment or the ability for a selected h. erectus variant to make the trip? True, but an open mind is what is required where orthodoxy might be too dismissive of all but the most conservative theories that keep the gravy train operating. The problem with evidence of very early migrations erectus or sapien is that of repeated glaciation, changing landscapes, flooding (for coastal regions), soil acidity and so on, especially in the northern half of the continent. H. erectus or sapien appears to be very adaptable creatures and should evidence arise of their presence on this continent before the last ice age it shouldn't be that surprising. Blue eyes The authors seem less committed to the assertion than you do. Of course the spreading of ol' blue eyes could be based on many factors supporting a Europe-only origin, with all those randy rampaging Europeans running amok back in the day. Maybe a Eurasian origin is more apt. yes, yes. I misread what you had written. Sorry about that!

Meh, it's a small price to pay to keep real men honourable and worthy of our traditional cultural values.

Oh it might be... a little. But you have to credit kimmy with the idea that kids are flocking to jui-jitsu classes to help defend themselves better because they watch UFC. Other kids are arming themselves with firearms to protect their drug selling territory. It is only a matter of time before one of each meets up and my money is on the kid with the gun.

I would dispute this though: Sure record levels have gotten worse, but they don't correlate with the levels of first 8-track, then cassettes and ulitmately CD's. I mean if we consider CDs to be "records" then I think there has actually been an increase.

Really thanks for that. It is nice to see some well-framed, thought-provoking responses instead of the previous back and forth partisan-like hubris from all the previous posters. Wait. If you are reading this then it is likely you too have your "eyes glued to some electronic thing." Good thing I can't see you...

You tell me. You're the one that made the connection: Other people might bypass jiu-jitsu and go directly to firearms.

Then we will expect no whining from you when the guns come out. In the "real world" I mean.

My tabs says, "Who was the first to dis" It would be an interesting question since it would likely indicate an early use of symbolism or symbolic language...

Or eaten if the food became low...

Maybe that is the key - having the balls to stand up for what you believe in, controversial or not. I mean PET was around for a long time, won majority governments and has an enduring legacy. Harper is still a wee pup and who knows if he will win enough seats to create a legacy of his own.

The 14.5 YBP has already been pushed back quite a bit and some evidence shows possible occupation of this continent 10's of thousands of years ago. The much loved Beringia theory is subject to an orthodoxy in modern Western anthropology which has resulted in ulta-conservative views when it comes to theories about the origins of Amerindians. Elaine Dewar in her book 'Bones' illustrates this phenomenon nicely. Agreed. But the interpreters of such data are fallible and subject to orthodoxy. But it is always a relief when our children look like us and not the postman nonetheless.

A couple of notes: I think the 'pangaea theory' is a coverall for the theory set of different land forms appearing during different ages corresponding to hominid migrations, not pangea specifically. For instance, the 1.5 million years that H. Erectus was wandering around could have resulted in a migration to this continent, especially temperate coastlines in the east or west. The problem with evidence is that repeated periods of glaciation coupled with a high acid content of the soil would have scrubbed most evidence of this earlier migration. You are erasing potential development and selection within a particular population - a no-no. Here is a little more information about blonde and red hair and blue eyes. Note that a high frequency of a trait in one region does not necessarily mean an origin of that trait in that region.

Very cool! Political Correctness

I see your cynicism: Council approved the development and it was submitted to the OMB. So the developer cleared out the land before the OMB decision and was called on it by someone on Council - likely for political reasons. Is that a fair assessment?

Not me Jack. If I was going to watch MMA, you can bet it is to figure out the intricacies of grappling. Nothing says MMA like a good grapple!

Perhaps there is something to your logic. After all there are men who beat women "in the real world" and if a woman can "defend" herself, it won't be long before you find it acceptable that MMA stage co-ed fights right? Using a weapon is part of hand-to-hand combat as well. I say, let's allow knives in MMA bouts because the referee can always call off the fight when one combatant is bleeding out on the mat. Sounds fair to me.

Really? So you were taught that it is ok to beat a man when he is down were you? Sounds like you come from a culture much different from mine. Let me guess, you are a recent immigrant.

And Rob Ford would hate this how? I mean, for starters, the pay has got to be pretty sweet...

Nope. It is based on the premise that beating on a guy when he is down is dishonourable and cowardly in the same way beating on a woman is.

Why are you the type that jumps on a man when he is down?

The piling mountains of garbage liquifying and fermenting in the blasting summer heat last year might have something to do with it. Experiencing such odours leaves one with an indelible memory of the event regardless how one believes the final outcome was justified or not. It was a lose-lose situation for Mayor Miller and he knew it. Plus the rats.

Which sport is "really the barbaric one?" Trying to knock out or knock down an opponent in boxing is the name of the game. Do you have any idea of how difficult that can be? Heck kimmy, people can get hurt! An opponent is still dangerous while they are still standing and able to throw their fist or were you unaware of that? Now, you can YouTube as many "barbaric" examples of boxing you want, but you are simply providing an exception to the rule. Ho-hum... Beating on an opponent while he is down is unmanly, cowardly and gutless. Every man knows this. It is in the MMA rules that you can do this. Barbarism has nothing to do with it.