Neandertals

... by the way, guys, this is why I'm interested in the use of Neandertals in prehistoric fiction. Ready? Here goes some Clan of the Cave Bear Jean Auel on the subject of Neandertals...

The women relied on their men to lead, to assume responsibility, to make important decisions. The Clan had changed so little in nearly a hundred thousand years that they were now incapable of change, and ways that had once been adaptations for convenience had become genetically set. Both men and women accepted their roles without struggle; they were inflexibly unable to assume any other. They would no more try to change their relationship than they would try to grow an extra arm or change the shape of their brain. ... Memories in Clan people were sex differentiated. Women had no more need of hunting lore than men had of more than rudimentary knowledge of plants. The difference in the brains of men and women was imposed by nature, and only cemented by culture...

Combine that with articles like this one in the Boston Globe, explaining that Neandertals died out because they "let" their women work? Man.

There are, of course, some awesome fictional Neandertals, and there are books that involve Neandertals in alternate universes going through the industrial revolution without ever doing the "Neolithic" (farming) revolution, and we can talk about, you know, production, and definitions of humanity, and all that. But really, you know that for me it's all about that quote up there, and that news article, and the way Neandertals are leveraged.

Shining Time Station, link list

I just spent all day in the library reading a ridiculous number of articles, half of which were disgustingly boring. So that sucked. And then I came home at nine fucking pm on a fucking Sunday and ... watched the young David Hewlett play Mr Typo the Reporter on Shining Time Station.

My fannishness apparently knows no shame. WHATEVER. I refuse to be judged!

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Link list:

veejane tells us what to do when you can't win an argument in twenty fun and ridiculous rhetorical devices | Filk song, anyone? The Lurkers Support Me In Email. | What do you think the top ten most viewed pages are on Conservapedia? Check your guesses here. Hint: one of them is "gay bowel syndrome." | The first lengthy clips of Johnny Depp singing as Sweeney Todd in the Burton version. | Patricia Cornwell goes more than a little bit Anne Rice | America's most literate cities 2006, ranked by some dubious criteria -- but the criteria can all be looked at separately, which leads to some interesting results. | Over at blogstorm, take a look at the top ten worst websites, and they really mean worst. | We all knew David Hewlett will do ANYTHING for the show, but now we have proof: Doctor Rodney McKay's answering machine messages. No, really. With name options. | Article on the Literary Review's Bad Sex award. Winner to be announced November 27th. |

Aaaand probably other things that I've since forgotten.