Floating Island Commune

I can't decide if there is something wrong with this idea but right now outside all the snow melted and Syracuse looks like it was just ejected from the bowels of a creature with amoebic dysentery and I just got back from a beautiful week in the sunshine state so this is looking pretty good...

http://www.why-yachts.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl4sbM_O_WA

Who is with me?

Hey Monkey - do as I say...sorta

Bill and I recently visited the "Evolving Planet" exhibit at the Field Museum in Chicago. It was a huge exhibit, taking up much of the second floor, and most of the interpretation (in my never-actually-professional opinion) was quiet good. The exhibit walked the visitor through the evolution of life on earth. Rooms were set at different points of time with tons of wicked cool fossils and some "sets" with models of trees and enormous bugs of past eras.

Six mass extinctions marked signification transitions of types of life on earth. While the meat of the info could lead you to believe mass extinctions were good (mammals thrived when dinos died...) the visuals (like dramatic red lighting) made those parts of the exhibit eerie. (Ahh! Meteors are falling!!!)

On each interpretive sign there was a time line since...well the beginning of time on earth, with each era in a different color and mass extinctions in red. So, we knew there would be an environmental message at the end regarding the sixth, and current mass extinction. I had high hopes for a solid, actionable message.

Here is what we found. Why is the current extinction happening?

How are humans killing everything? Garbage, densely populated areas which destroy habitat, greenhouse gases and, apparently, the logging industry.

The statistic to shock you into action:

Finally, the self-promoting feel-good message:

That was pretty much it. Three signs in a little nook. But then, the best part. When visitors walk just around the corner, just outside of the exhibit saying that transportation, garbage and (reasonable people could infer) conspicuous consumption are killing species in the same vein that led to the extinction of dinosaurs, giant sloths and some pretty funky looking fish, you find this:


I literally took this photo standing next to the sign about how awful humans are. Any guesses as to the contents of the store? Recycled tote bags for groceries? Wind turbines? Perhaps "adopt an endangered species" packets? "More Fun, Less Stuff" bumper stickers?

Nope.

Plastic dinosaurs made in China. Puzzles made in China. Dinosaur robots, presumably made in China. Tons of short-life, basically disposable stuff made in a polluted country and shipped across a very large ocean.

Mind-boggling.

I tried to find a museum interpretor to help me understand this seemingly hypocritical disconnect (as well as a scientific question about mass extinctions), but couldn't. Apparently these sort of staff leave for the day around 3, though the museum is open until 6. I searched for over a solid half hour and asked multiple security and information employees to help me find someone to talk to and they helpfully said I was asking too late in the day.

So I am left to guessing about the museum's intent. Here are the two thoughts I come up with:

1) Money from museum sales supports conservation programs, like those on the last sign, which purchase and protect land.
My problem with that is this: if humans are causing the mass extinction, purchasing land seems to address a symptom and not the actual problem of unsustainable long-distance consumption. It would seem a futile effort in the long run, unless human consumptive behavior is significantly altered.

2) The museum needs the money from gift shop sales to cover operating costs which make exhibits like "Evolving Planet" - and its message about environmental destruction - possible.
Having worked at a large conservation non-profit, I totally get the fundraising thing. However, if a goal of the exhibit is to get visitors to think about, and ultimately act to change their unsustainable habits and they still want to buy destructive, polluting crap less than 20 seconds after leaving the part of the exhibit that tells them not to, I'd say your interpretation is not very effective and no one is getting your message.

So, here is my question to the Field Museum that I am left to posting here because no one was available at the actual museum. Why not raise money in a way that supports, rather than undermines, your mission? Have a huge ole gift shop with things that will make people feel good about not buying crap.

Start with a big, self-righteous sign about why you don't sell plastic crap made in China. Sell flower seeds for window boxes, or small trees. Treats for birds made by the local YMCA afterschool program? Organic dog biscuits with local ingredients made by local old people? I'd even be ok with books about sustainable living. Show visitors how to actually change their consumption and have fun doing it.

Otherwise, I am left thinking the museum is full of crap and the sixth mass extinction has nothing to do with me.

NZ Wallpaper

Back to our blogging roots. A selection of possible wallpapers...
More photos on Flickr.

Pasture land, near Mt. Doom

Abel Tasman National Park

Tasman Bay, near Nelson

Bubbling mud in Rotorua

Mmmm... mussels.

We had our first ever mussels in NZ. Green lipped mussels are big busines there. Also - pate. This lunch was courtesy of Uncle Tom and Dena... Enjoyed next to a pond at a winery and quilt shop in Blenheim.

Wanaka, NZ

After travelling for about 2 weeks, we're getting a little tired, so we've stopped for a bit of rest in Wanaka, on the South Island. This is on a lovely lake and is where locals come for vacay. We're staying at a little motel that has a trampoline for free use of the guests, and is located right next to the most awesome little cinema you've ever seen! You can watch movies from a VW bug, or on old lazyboys. One of the photos below is a large paper mache sheep standing on the roof of the cinema for the home grown NZ Black Sheep movie, which we are going to go see tonight.

Over the past few days we drove down the west coast, getting bit by sand flies and checking out glaciers and the Southern Alps Mountain range, though it was a bit rainy most of the time so our view of the peaks was a bit obscured. It is clearing today though, so hopefully tomorrow we will have a lovely scenic drive.

We went for a walk along a never ending trail through rainforest (and over a dodgy bridge) to penguin habitat, only to learn that the Fjiordland Crested penguins that nest there leave in early March to parts unknown, not to return until July. Oh well. Was a lovely walk and we met some of the cheekiest forest robins and fantails!

We're making our way back to Christchurch over the next two days. JoAnna would really like to pet a sheep before we leave, so that is our goal for tomorrow.

Cheers,

- Bill (and JoAnna)

Gators Galore at Okefenoke N.W.R

Today we checked out Okefenoke National Wildlife Refuge and rented a canoe to explore a very small part of the swamp. Mostly what we saw were alligators- lots of them. But there was a fair number of white ibises, egrets and finally at the end of the day we were lucky to see a pair of sandhill cranes from the lookout area. We could not find any red-cockaded woodpeckers, but we did see a red belly, and a bunch of turkeys, 2 GBH (closeup) and what we think was a little blue heron.

-Kelly & Chris

Hello from Cumberland Island

We just spent 3 days on Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia. Beautiful place -and very quiet. We saw a bunch of armadillos, wild horses, an alligator, dolphins, deer, variety of shorebirds, and no snakes(thats good). We camped 2 nights, spent some time hiking and hanging out on the beach, and visited old ruins of Carnegie Mansions. Now we are back in St Mary's on the mainland, which is also a very nice, quaint, southern village. We spent most of today relaxing around town and drinking sweet tea (yum) Tomorrow: explore Okefenoke Swamp and see how the canoeing is there.

Hope everyone is well!

Chris & Kelly

Can't...leave...Marlborough!

We were only planning on stopping through here for an afternoon.....it's four days later and we are still enjoying the wine and amazing local fresh produce of the area. Harvest time is a great time to be in N.Zed's best wine region. It's like heaven here -- 72 and sunny every day. New birds fluttering around (my fav has been the white faced heron). New trails to be tramped upon. We've been searching for something awful about this place and have been severely dissapointed.

No photos today. Just imagine the most lovely place on earth and then make it twice as wonderful with more amazing wine and food than you could ever taste. Photos wouldn't do it justice anyways!

We ate mussles! And pate!

Heading down the west coast tomorrow (most likely!) to see the southern alps and Mt. Cook.

Hope everyone is well!
- JoAnna (and Bill)

Hello from the future!

For those of you who haven't yet experienced it - we'll tell you a secret - March 23 is a good day!
We visited Mount DOOM and Mordor today. It was lovely. 70 and Sunny in the land of evil, though it did smell a bit of rotten eggs. Fun time in an active geothermal area too. Mordor has a winery, that Arnold the Governator apparently really likes. (JoAnna too!)







Haven't seen any sheep yet (not!) Basically the entire countryside is one big pasture. Or tree plantation. Or volcano. Or something else equally beautiful. Here's some pics. Spending tonight in Palmerston North on the North Island before we make our way to Wellington and the Interisland ferry tomorrow. I am going to try to have Beef Wellington while in Wellington.



Hope everyone is well!

-Jobi