Go Dig a Hole

Introducing Our Guests Tia Cody recently graduated from the Anthropology Masters program at Portland State University. Her thesis, titled LIDAR Predictive Modeling of Kalapuya Mound Sites in the Callapooia Watershed, Oregon, uses geospatial approaches to analyze settlement patterns in a culturally significant region south of Salem, Oregon near Brownsville. Katie Tipton is a grad student at Portland State University who’s working to build a database to connect archaeological resources in Oregon with public knowledge and collections. “Archaeological material and cultural resources are finite resources, which means we all have the responsibility to ensure that these resources are protected. Besides the trowel, archaeologists and many others utilize many ways of engaging with the past in order to preserve these finite resources. The database established through this project is one way to minimize the impact of archaeological investigations on cultural resources.” The Government Shutdown So, the shutdown is just horrendous no matter how you slice it. We all know archaeologists who are losing paychecks. I reached out to a couple folks to see if they’d speak, but that pesky Taft-Hartley Bill keeps government employees from organizing labor or speaking out in anything that could be interpreted as protest, so they need our help speaking up for them. Some excerpts from a recent letter from the DSA Labor Commission: “Trump is trying to divide the working class as part of his racist agenda, but DSA members who are federal workers are speaking out and building solidarity.” “ call your congressional representative and both senators and demand they end the shutdown immediately and backpay all furloughed government workers as well as contractors. Ask that they work with Rep. Pressley to ensure that contractors as well as federal employees are backpaid for all time lost to the shutdown.” It’s Not About the Wall Naomi Klein writes about “disaster capitalism” in her books, The Shock Doctrine and No Is Not Enough. There, she spells out cases where crises were exploited or flatly engineered to erode public services, strain the working class financially, and install privatized services that profit off suffering. In post-Katrina Louisiana, post-Sandy New York and New Jersey, and in post-Maria Puerto Rico, we saw natural disasters take human lives and wreak havoc on communities. In the aftermath, Bain Capital and other nebulous firms stepped in to undermine local public services and replace them with privatized contracts. Mike Pence was instrumental in all of these cases, as he was when he engineered the worst HIV and AIDS epidemic the country has seen in since the 1980s through smash and grab public health policy when he was governor of Indiana. Now we have a senile, openly white supremacist president who’s a failed real estate tycoon that owes foreign investors billions of dollars and the only way to repay his debts is to engineer a crisis that will let him concentrate an obscene amount of wealth in the ruling class. If you want to hear more about the shutdown and how it is affecting archaeology and the country as a whole, check out the newest WIA episode on iTunes or your favorite Android app, as well as on our website, www.womeninarchaeology.com. Where can we find you online? Kirsten Lopez Twitter @archyfem www.twitter.com/archyfem Instagram @bluejaderose www.instagram.com/bluejaderose Check out Women in Archaeology www.womeninarchaeology.com Tia Cody Katie Tipton Arch Database PDX https://archdatabasepdx.wordpress.com/ Links Support Go Dig a Hole on Patreon www.patreon.com/godigahole Urgent Solidarity Needed with Federal Workers https://www.dsausa.org/news/urgent-solidarity-needed-with-federal-workers/ Call your senators and representatives to demand an end to the shutdown https://callyourrep.co/

Check out the Go Dig a Hole blog for the companion post shortly!

The whole crew had their own dang happy hour and some of their loved ones made brief appearances. Tia, Kirsten, Katie, and Chris talk about how they’ve had to adjust to working as archaeologists during a pandemic, the frustrations of “productivity theater”, and trying to find happiness in the full collapse of late capitalism. We also talk about tattoos, cats, and food - as is the custom. This episode is a little freeform, but the crew always finds a good groove together despite repeated disruptions to the format. Stay safe and keep on keepin’ on! LINKS Support Go Dig a Hole on Patreon www.patreon.com/godigahole Follow Go Dig a Hole on Facebook www.facebook.com/godigahole

Support Go Dig a Hole on Patreon for stickers and other goodies! www.patreon.com/godigahole The following episode may contain graphic descriptions of disease, infection, injuries, and workplace conditions that some people may find upsetting. We apologise for any disturbance this episode may cause, and encourage sensitive listeners to skip this episode if these topics are too upsetting. Part of the mission of the Go Dig a Hole podcast is to build realistic expectations for working in the field, to build preparedness among professions and better public understanding of what we do. Hazards in the Field We usually talk about archaeology, but there are many field sciences, and Danielle’s research on parasites certainly encounters those hazards head-on. What are people exposed to when they work in the field? Ticks Leeches Insects Botflies Chagas Leshmaniasis Chiggers (mites) Unclean drinking water & food Guinea worm, giardiasis (“beaver fever”) Parasitic worms - mention Steph Halmhofer’s video on Facebook and Instagram reminded me of parasitic hazards working near livestock... Cestodes, nematodes, protozoans What are the hazards of digging in the soil, as far as parasites go? Soil-transmitted helminthiasis (whipworm, ascariasis, hookworm) Occupational Safety Kirsten - workplace safety standards Small businesses: https://www.osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness/index.html First Aid: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/medicalfirstaid/index.html Hazardous waste: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/hazardouswaste/index.html Excavation standards Video: https://www.osha.gov/dts/vtools/construction/trench_fnl_eng_web.html Fact Sheet: https://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_Hurricane_Facts/trench_excavation_fs.pdf Slips, trips, and falls https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/falls/ Heat injuries Info pages: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/heatstress/index.html Standard: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2001-10-17-0 Video: https://www.osha.gov/heat/graphics.html More? Outdoor skills: survey--learn to use a compass and map, Trimble isn’t always your friend! Lift feet when walking transects. Other good skillsets and discussion on using hand tools such as machetes: https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/ETA/Documents_Geometronics/Survey-Safety-Manual.pdf Where can we find you online? Danielle de Carle Twitter: @danielledecarle Instagram: @de_carle Steph Halmhofer Twitter: @bones_canada Instagram: @bones.canada https://bonesstonesandbooks.com/ Daniel Kwan Twitter, Instagram, Facebook: @danielhkwan Curiosity in Focus, Dundas West Games, Ross Rifles, ROM Kirsten Lopez Twitter: @archyfem @womenarchys womeninarchaeology.com Women in Archaeology podcast, Association of Oregon Archaeologists

Jordan Reese, a student at University of Central Florida and longtime veteran of the AFAR field school in Belize, posed some interesting questions to host Christopher Sims. He brought in fellow AFAR staff, Drs. Stan Guenter and Marc Zender to answer these questions and talk about the importance of literacy and good note-taking in archaeology. This is a must-listen episode if you've ever thought, "who even reads this anyway?" when taking notes in the field. Links Support Go Dig a Hole on Patreon: www.patreon.com/godigahole Like Go Dig a Hole on Facebook: www.facebook.com/godigahole