Cavegirls were first blondes to have fun

(taken from The Times website--the British one)

Roger Dobson and Abul Taher

THE modern gentleman may prefer blondes. But new research has found that it was cavemen who were the first to be lured by flaxen locks.

According to the study, north European women evolved blonde hair and blue eyes at the end of the Ice Age to make them stand out from their rivals at a time of fierce competition for scarce males.

The study argues that blond hair originated in the region because of food shortages 10,000-11,000 years ago. Until then, humans had the dark brown hair and dark eyes that still dominate in the rest of the world. Almost the only sustenance in northern Europe came from roaming herds of mammoths, reindeer, bison and horses. Finding them required long, arduous hunting trips in which numerous males died, leading to a high ratio of surviving women to men.

Lighter hair colours, which started as rare mutations, became popular for breeding and numbers increased dramatically, according to the research, published under the aegis of the University of St Andrews.

“Human hair and eye colour are unusually diverse in northern and eastern Europe (and their) origin over a short span of evolutionary time indicates some kind of selection,” says the study by Peter Frost, a Canadian anthropologist. Frost adds that the high death rate among male hunters “increased the pressures of sexual selection on early European women, one possible outcome being an unusual complex of colour traits.”

Frost’s theory, to be published this week in Evolution and Human Behavior, the academic journal, was supported by Professor John Manning, a specialist in evolutionary psychology at the University of Central Lancashire. “Hair and eye colour tend to be uniform in many parts of the world, but in Europe there is a welter of variants,” he said. “The mate choice explanation now being put forward is, in my mind, close to being correct.”

Frost’s theory is also backed up by a separate scientific analysis of north European genes carried out at three Japanese universities, which has isolated the date of the genetic mutation that resulted in blond hair to about 11,000 years ago.

The hair colour gene MC1R has at least seven variants in Europe and the continent has an unusually wide range of hair and eye shades. In the rest of the world, dark hair and eyes are overwhelmingly dominant.

Just how such variety emerged over such a short period of time in one part of the world has long been a mystery. According to the new research, if the changes had occurred by the usual processes of evolution, they would have taken about 850,000 years. But modern humans, emigrating from Africa, reached Europe only 35,000-40,000 years ago.

Instead, Frost attributes the rapid evolution to how they gathered food. In Africa there was less dependence on animals and women were able to collect fruit for themselves. In Europe, by contrast, food gathering was almost exclusively a male hunter’s preserve. The retreating ice sheets left behind a landscape of fertile soil with plenty of grass and moss for herbivorous animals to eat, but few plants edible for humans. Women therefore took on jobs such as building shelters and making clothes while the men went on hunting trips, where the death rate was high.

The increase in competition for males led to rapid change as women struggled to evolve the most alluring qualities. Frost believes his theory is supported by studies which show blonde hair is an indicator for high oestrogen levels in women.


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...blah blah blah.
Vote YES on all propositions, or something. Especially 86. Sorry Gene, you pay.

[Enter stage boring]

Life has been pretty boring lately. I work. I sleep. I go to the library. I frequent classes (just not my Italian one, I despise it). The only thing that spices up my day is sitting outside and doing school work. I've been desperately soaking up the vestiges of the lingering summer sun because it will soon be too cold (windy, and maybe rainy) to camp outside beneath a magnolia tree on campus.

I've committed to begin listening to my iPod (while walking somewhere) more often in an attempt to reconnect myself to the dreamy side of me that flourished this past year in Italy. As I walk, the accompanying music makes me feel as though I'm the character in a movie. I don't know why this is a good thing to me, I have a strong dislike for movies in general and an even stronger ambivalence to actors. I will figure out why feeling like a character in a movie while walking down the street is comforting and inspiring to me...that and I will figure out what the hell I'm doing with this thesis. :)

My life has changed

That's right folks. At 10:14pm, Sunday October 8, 2006, I discovered the wonderful services of www.questia.com. Check it out for yourself. My thesis has just become more do-able. I would say it's my favorite website, but I've also discovered www.ilovealpacas.com

Italian Labor Day Weekend--Bologna to...Bergamo?

As American students in Italy, we are fortunate enough to celebrate both American and Italian holidays, doubling our school holidays and augmenting our standard three-day weekends. The final weekend in April was none other than Italian Labor Day and my friends and I planed a long weekend on the seashore but only after a quick stop in Bologna. (red landscape of Bologna seen left from Torre degli Asinelli--Tower of Asinelli...click photos for large view)

Bologna is a beautifully reddish city north of Florence, located in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. I say it's red because all the buildings are shades of sienna (much like the city Sienna as seen in a much earlier blog entry). A Bolognese insider told me that there's something like an ordinance which does not allow you to paint your palazzo a shade other than red. The captivating medieval city is not only home to the world-famous Spaghetti Bolognese (spaghetti and meat sauce) but also one of our professori, Cosimo, a former Florentine who chose Bologna's thriving university (allegedly the oldest in Europe, but the French disagree) environment over Florence's tourist inferno. (pictured right with Megan P., Katrina, and myself...Megan, stop drooling)


My time in Bologna began in Piazza Maggiore at the Basilica di San Petronio. The facade of this enormous Gothic cathedral is unfinished, supposedly because the Vatican heard that the Bolognese wanted to build a basilica larger than Saint Peter's in Vatican City (Rome) and the powerful church quickly put a stop to those plans. From what I saw, the size did not rival that of St. Peter's...yet. (unfinished Basilica di San Petronio, above left as seen from Piazza San Maggiore)

Also located in the piazza is the Palazzo Communale (town hall), built in the 14th century. It's red, it's medieval, it's typical Bologna. (portion of Palazzo Communale, right)

It was not until I saw the nearby Fontana di Nettuno (Neptune Fountain) that I remembered I had been in Bologna before, during a trip six years earlier. The fountain is definitely something you remember because many people over time, including the Catholic Church, have considered it indecent. How does one in the 16th century make a fountain indecent? See for yourself (left). Looks pretty tame, does it not?

Upon a closer look, you will see four sirens posed provocatively with water coming from their breasts (right). When I was 16, my friend and I mocked the fountain in a photo and so I had to recreate it upon my return visit (below left).

After making a scene at the fountain, I wandered the city while Megan and Kate were assaulted with their art history lesson compliments of the infamous Helen Manner. Like many older cities in Italy, some of the streets were small, charming, and so ideal that you felt as though you stumbled upon some movie set. Sadly, the camera could not capture this for me to show (my attempt, bottom right).





Although it was a dreary day, blue skies made an appearance so that this photo could be taken (below left).


My wandering about town brought me to the Tower of Asinelli and it's leaning neighbor, the Tower of Garisenda. As was the custom during the Middle Ages, the powerful and wealth families erected towers which served as a status symbol. The Garisenda family clearly had money and clout, but not enough to prepare a proper foundation for their tower and thus it began sinking much like the infamous tower in Pisa. (left: Garisenda tower is the shortr one, Asinelli the taller)

The approximately 490 stairs to the top of the Asinelli tower were no match for these gams! The view looking down from those rickety old stairs did play a number on my nerves though (below left). It was all worth it because of the spectacular views afforded from it's location 334 feet above the city.

The lush valley surrounding the city made me feel like I was in Florence. Bologna is blessed with the same rich colors with which I fell in love while visiting Florence for the first time several years ago. Because the city is nestled in a valley, it is often cloaked with a light haze which prevents one from
taking a crystal clear picture (except in winter when the wind blows so hard that no haze dares to linger). (looking down upon city and surround hills, right)


The obligatory young Italian couple engaging in some over the top PDAs (public display of affection) was one of the many interesting things that I encountered atop the tower. On of the most scary things was the father whose parenting skills were beyond than questionable. (see left, toddler hanging over the city Michael Jackson style...well, almost)

Another disheartening thing to see was how the tower was now being used by the rich and powerful families (corporations, governments) of our time. Who knew that medieval architecture + capitalism/technology = something that looks like a maximum security prison?


Another interesting thing to see from my bird's eye view of the city was the "trailer trash" like rooftop terrace of a 17th century palazzo, complete with astroturf lawn and white, plastic lawn chairs.

After meeting up with my cognitively overloaded art history companions, we took a much desired shopping break at H&M--the one and only store I will truly miss (that is until one opens in Pasadena this fall!).

The next leg of our tour was to be along the beautiful Ligurian coast in Monterosso, one of the five towns that make up the famous Cinque Terre of Italy. As we went to purchase our train tickets to our next destination, we retrieved our hostel reservations to confirm our train stop and purchased the next ticket to the city in which our hostel was located--Bergamo.

According to the hostel website, the hostel in which we had reservations for four very tired and excited gals was located in the Monterosso area. What we didn't know at the time we boarded the train was that Bergamo is 250 km away from Monterosso. After one stop, I expressed my doubts about the direction of the train because it did not coincide with the research I had been doing for the trip. We consulted our Italy guide books to discover the true location of Bergamo and got off that train as soon as possible. (Megan's train ride of shame after booking the Bergamo hostel, right)

A few hours and about 25 frantic phone calls to hotels later, we found ourselves safely locked in a room, close to the sea, enjoying the labors of our Italian holiday. (in our last minute hotel room in La Spezia after a tiring day of traveling, left)

To be continued in next entry...Cinque Terre! (below)

My Italian life, in pictures

Italy thus far in pictures

I suppose I’ll start with the basics…

As you know, I have been living in Florence (known as Firenze in Italian) for about 9 months now. It is located in the beautiful, lush, and commonly idealized area of Tuscany, which is in central Italy. Florence is known for being the birthplace of the Renaissance because it was home to the wildly rich and powerful Medici family who were great patrons of the arts.

This is Florence:



by day




and by night.

This is the street I live on. The name translates to “Top of the World.”



This is the palazzo in which I live. Palazzo is basically what you call a building.



My Italian roommate (right) and her best friend (left) at the Madonna costume party.



This is my room:





I’ve been trying not to collect books because they are going to weigh so much and take up so much space when I go to leave, but it’s very difficult since I am here to study literature, you know. My library:



and yes, that is St. Augustine’s City of God next to Carmen Electra’s Aerobic DVDs.

I have some interesting neighbors…



this is Mimo, an unbelievably large cat. I am his number one fan.



another neighbor here in Florence, Michaelangeo’s David.

I spend a lot of time walking on the uneven, stony streets of the city



and a lot of time reflecting



I spend a lot of time cooking for myself and for my friends



my typical dinner table



a silly apron



a feast, recipes compliments of Macaroni Grill!



delicious desserts are a must!



I also make delicious breakfasts for my friends. Yes, that is pretty much a troth of yummy breakfast potatoes and I am in the background preparing more!



I even make perfect cappuccinos to round out the meal!



Sometimes I go out for the incredible Italian ice cream—gelato



and when I’m lucky, I go out to eat.



The only bad thing about cooking and having guests over is you must clean.



When somewhere is too far to walk or it is raining, I take the bus



This is me waiting for the bus and below is Ajla bored on the bus



In true Italian form, I have zipped around the city on a scooter



Whenever I leave the city, I go by train



I go out for apertivo (drinks and snacks) with friends





I watch a lot of Sex and the City with my girls



I go out to plays and operas in beautiful and historic theaters





Leaving for a night out at the opera

Window shopping is a must



I babysit this cute British-Italian girl every week. More about that linguistic nightmare later…



A lot of time is just spent hanging around



I see beautiful things every day



Oh yeah, and I go to school too!



my school



me, my friends, and one of our teachers

I like to look at all the Italian books in bookstores, reading titles and looking for things that are familiar



I go on field trips and feel like I’m in elementary school again



the only redeemable thing about field trips for me is the fabulous hotels that we stay in! In them, I can finally pamper myself with a bath, something my Italian abode is lacking.



Besides bathtubs, another thing I desperately miss about the states is my Dr. Pepper



Without things like Dr. Pepper and baths, sometimes I feel like I am living under some communist regime. But then again, there are other things that make me feel that way.





I spent my New Year’s in Paris



and my birthday on the island of Capri (and no, I encountered no sirens)



I’ve experienced autumn for the first time



and after a long and painful winter, I finally experienced a true spring



Well, I’ve resized, uploaded, and semi-explained enough pictures, so I’m going to call it a night. Hope you enjoyed and leave me a note telling me you looked! I know you lurkers are out there so speak up!!