The Kontiki Story

t r i a n n u a l
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ISSN 1420340-5 * Printed in Wondiana
VARIO
No.2
September 2004 / Vol.2
Fr. 6.75
1 420034 000002
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PORTRAIT
Thor Heyerdahl
TRAVEL
Rapa Nui - Easter Island
FANTASY
Drawing Tolkien’s Mind
Thor Heyerdahl and
The Kontiki Story
The Consumer Recycling Guide
A Complete Guide to The Olympic Sports
T OF
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Hello again!
V ario comes out with its second issue, which is a bit later than we had anticipated
at the first sight. We had to re-consider Vario’s publication terms for reaching greater
number of readers. Now our final decision is to publish Vario three times a year -- in
January, May and September. So we are expecting your invaluable contributions and
feedbacks until the end of December 2004 for the third issue.
Vario means “to diversify, change, alter, vary; to be different” in Latin. This touches to
our very notion: Here, within the pages of Vario, you will often face an alternative reality,
various standpoints and a “different” appearance of life which is taken not “as it is” but
rather “as it might have been.” Its source is our imagination, it is our way. This may
seem as quite subjective; but if you join us, we will meet our sources. This is the very
heart of our nation, Wondiana, where trues come dream.
Well met, stranger, if you are one.
Hello friend, if you had always been...
In this issue...
O ur cover guest is Thor Heyerdahl, Norwegian explorer, one of the most beloved
figures in Wondiana; one of the earliest owner of Symbol d’Honneur Wondiénne. We
have lost him in April 2002. This issue is thought to be a tribute for him. Rest in peace
Thor, Wondiana will never forget you.
¯
Kontiki Expedition was the first adventure that Thor Heyerdahl had experienced. Many
others have followed. We had brief accounts of his expeditions and a nearly-complete
bibliography in this issue.
¯
Easter Island is one of the mysterious spots in the world and has long been the subject
of curiosity and speculation. How and why did its inhabitants carve and transport the
massive statues which surround the island? What remains of this culture today, and what
lessons can we learn from their legacy? Our feature on Easter Island gives an in-depth
explanation for all points of concern as well as a brief history of the island. Thanks to the
Easter Island Foundation for their invaluable contributions.
¯
Following our article on “Why should we avoid using PVC”; here comes another
environmental issue: Recycling. Within our pages, you will find a detailed guide on
commonly recycled materials. In order to prolong and promote life on earth, recycling
is one of the major assets we have in hand.
¯
Athens 2004 Summer Olympics has just ended. We have a petty guide on sports that are
practiced at the Olympic Games. This month we have the “Part One” on summer
olympics. The second part on the Winter olympics will be published in our January 2005
issue, No.3.
¯
Drawing Tolkien’s Mind is the title of our newest serial. Starting this month with Eugenia
Weinstein, we will host artists at this page with their drawings on Tolkien’s stories and
the Middle Earth. It is our promise not to have an issue without our beloved J.R.R. Tolkien.
GY
I hope you enjoy our new Vario; see you next issue...
— THE EDITOR
European Photovoltaic Industry Association
WO
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WE ONLY NEED TO INVEST TO COLLECT IT.
VARIOMETER
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www.variomagazine.com
Features
PORTRAIT: Thor Heyerdahl
10
02
Inside
TRAVEL: Story of Easter Island
19
ECOLOGY: The Consumer
Recycling Guide
31
SPORTS: A Complete Guide to
The Olympic Sports
39
FANTASY: Drawing Tolkien’s Mind
45
Permanent Pages
VARIOMETER/Editorial
3
Poetry - Eradam
7
Short Story - Twain
8
Dictionary of Word Origins
46
Review/Video
46
Review/Audio
47
Review/Book
47
Humour - Mordillo
48
Advertisement Index
Wondian Dept. of Energy/EPIA
2
Network Wondiénne
6
Pacific Telecommunications Gp.
13
Blue Bayou International
17
Wondian Dept. of Tourism
18
Télécom Wondiénne
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iosys Information Technologies
29
Respect the Earth Mvt.
30
Kport
38
Air Wondiana
44
19
39
A Complete Guide to
The Olympic Games
Easter Island
10
Thor
Heyerdahl
31
45
Drawing
Tolkien’s Mind
The Consumer
Recycling Guide
COVER PICTURE
Kontiki, by Moritz R., 2002, 150x150, acrylic on paper,
http://moritzr.bei.t-online.de
VARIO /02
VARIO
CONTENTS
5
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Hartford Blues
too large a hotel room
a huge capitol on a hill
very near the train station
living some new history
waiting for Hal expecting
to speak what's left unspoken
in Izmir, the warm Aegean town
in the cosy silence of the room
charlie parker and Hal
chatting to a D minor
YUSUF ERADAM
Poet Laureate of Wondiana
a bird's strut at the window
in connecticut campus
a squirrel's surprise
debut before
a walnut tree
too quick emotions
too late auditions of love
www.wondiana.net
where trues come dream...
where trues come dream...
where trues come dream...
where trues come dream...
too soon is the depart
a hug a smile a warm stare
hartford blues in full flare
May 9, 1992, Ankara-Turkey
Wondiana
VARIO /02
Official
HomeOfPage
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Mark Twain
ever see, if he could get anybody to bet on
the other side; and if he couldn't, he'd change
Editor’s Note: Mark Twain didn’t reach California until a decade after the height of the
sides. Any way that suited the other man
Gold Rush. But his fertile imagination found plenty of fodder. This tale is one of his
would suit him—any way just so's he got a
bet, he was satisfied. But still he was lucky,
most famous. The illustrations are from an original 1870s compilation of his stories.
uncommon lucky; he most always come out
winner. He was always ready and laying for
a chance; there couldn't be no solit'ry thing
mentioned but that feller'd offer to bet on
n compliance with the request of a friend
it, and take any side you please, as I was just
of mine, who wrote me from the East,
telling you. If there was a horse race, you'd
I called on good-natured, garrulous old Simon
find him flush, or you'd find him busted at
Wheeler, and inquired after my friend's friend,
the end of it; if there was a dogfight, he'd
Leonidas W. Smiley, as requested to do, and
bet on it; if there was a cat-fight, he'd bet
I hereunto append the result. I have a lurking
on it; if there was a chicken-fight, he'd bet
suspicion that Leonidas W. Smiley is a myth;
on it; why, if there was two birds setting on
that my friend never knew such a personage;
a fence, he would bet you which one would
and that he only conjectured that, if I asked
fly first; or if there was a camp meeting, he
old Wheeler about him, it would remind him
would be there reg'lar, to bet on Parson
of his infamous Jim Smiley, and he would
Walker, which he judged to be the best
go to work and bore me nearly to death with
exhorter about here, and so he was, too, and
some infernal reminiscence of him as long
a good man. If he even seen a straddlebug
and tedious as it should be useless to me. If
start to go anywheres, he would bet you
that was the design, it certainly succeeded.
how long it would take him to get wherever
he was going to, and if you took him up,
I found Simon Wheeler dozing comfortably
he would foller that straddlebug to Mexico
by the barroom stove of the old, dilapidated
but what he would find out where he was bound for and how long he was
tavern in the ancient mining camp of Angel's, and I noticed that he was
on the road. Lots of the boys here has seen that Smiley, and can tell you
fat and bald-headed, and had an expression of winning gentleness and
about him. Why, it never made no difference to him—he would bet on
simplicity upon his tranquil countenance. He roused up and gave me
anything—the dangdest feller. Parson Walker's wife laid very sick once, for
good-day. I told him a friend of mine had commissioned me to make
a good while, and it seemed as if they warn't going to save her; but one
some inquiries about a cherished companion of his boyhood named
morning he come in, and Smiley asked how she was, and he said she was
Leonidas W. Smiley—Rev. Leonidas W. Smiley, young minister of the
considerable better—thank the Lord for his inf'nit mercy—and coming on
Gospel, who he had heard was at one time a resident of Angel's Camp.
so smart that, with the blessing of Prov'dence, she'd get well yet; and Smiley,
I added that, if Mr. Wheeler could tell me anything about this Rev.
before he thought, says, "Well, I'll risk two-and-a-half that she don't, anyway."
Leonidas W. Smiley, I would feel under many obligations to him.
I
Simon Wheeler backed me into a corner and blockaded me there with
his chair, and then sat me down and reeled off the monotonous narrative
which follows this paragraph. He never smiled, he never frowned, he
never changed his voice from the gentle-flowing key to which he tuned
the initial sentence, he never betrayed the slightest suspicion of enthusiasm;
but all through the interminable narrative there ran a vein of impressive
earnestness and sincerity, which showed me plainly that, so far from his
imagining that there was anything ridiculous or funny about his story,
he regarded it as a really important matter, and admired its two heroes
as men of transcendent genius in finesse. I let him go on in his own way,
and never interrupted him once.
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"Rev. Leonidas W. H'm, Reverend le—well, there was a feller here once
by the name of Jim Smiley, in the winter of '49—or maybe it was the
spring of '50—I don't recollect exactly, somehow, though what makes
me think it was one or the other is because I remember the big flume
wasn't finished when he first came to the camp; but anyway, he was the
curiousest man about always betting on anything that turned up you
Thish-yer Smiley had a mare—the boys called her the fifteen-minute nag,
but that was only in fun, you know, because, of course, she was faster than
that—and he used to win money on that horse, for all she was so slow and
always had the asthma, or the distemper, or the consumption, or something
of that kind. They used to give her two or three hundred yards start, and
then pass her under way; but always at the fag end of the race she'd get
excited and desperate-like, and come cavorting and straddling up, and
scattering her legs around limber, sometimes in the air, and sometimes out
to one side amongst the fences, and kicking up m-o-r-e dust, and raising
m-o-r-e racket with her coughing and sneezing and blowing her nose—and
always fetch up at the stand just about a neck ahead, as near as you could
cipher it down.
And he had a little small bull pup, that to look at him you'd think he wan't
worth a cent, but to set around and look ornery, and lay for a chance to
steal something. But as soon as money was up on him, he was a different
dog; his underjaw'd begin to stick out like the fo-castle of a steamboat, and
his teeth would uncover, and shine savage like the furnaces. And a dog
Well, thish-yer Smiley had rat-tarriers, and chicken
cocks, and tomcats, and all them kind of things, till
you couldn't rest, and you couldn't fetch nothing
for him to bet on but he'd match you. He ketched
a frog one day, and took him home, and said he
cal'klated to edercate him; and so he never done
nothing for three months but set in his back yard
and learn that frog to jump. And you bet you he
did learn him too. He'd give him a little punch
behind, and the next minute you'd see that frog
whirling in the air like a doughnut—see him turn
one summerset, or may be a couple, if he got a good
start, and come down flatfooted and all right, like
a cat. He got him up so in the matter of catching
flies, and kept him in practice so constant, that he'd
nail a fly every time as far as he could see him.
Smiley said all a frog wanted was education, and he
could do most anything—and I believe him. Why,
I've seen him set Dan'l Webster down here on this
floor—Dan'l Webster was the name of the frog—
and sing out, "Flies, Dan'l, flies!" and quicker'n you
could wink, he'd spring straight up, and snake a fly
off'n the counter there, and flop down on the floor
again as solid as a gob of mud, and fall to scratching
the side of his head with his hind foot as indifferent
as if he hadn't no idea he'd been doin' any more'n
any frog might do. You never see a frog so modest
and straightfor'ard as he was, for all he was so gifted.
And when it came to fair and square jumping on a
dead level, he could get over more ground at one
straddle than any animal of his breed you ever see.
Jumping on a dead level was his strong suit, you
understand; and when it come to that, Smiley would
ante up money on him as long as he had a red.
Smiley was monstrous proud of his frog, and well
he might be, for fellers that had traveled and been
everywheres, all said he laid over any frog that ever
they see.
Well, Smiley kept the beast in a little lattice box,
and he used to fetch him downtown sometimes and
lay for a bet. One day a feller—a stranger in the
camp, he was—come across him with his box, and
says:
"What might it be that you've got in the box?"
And Smiley says, sorter indifferent like, "It might
be a parrot, or it might be a canary, maybe, but it
an't—it's only just a frog."
And the feller took it, and looked at it careful, and
turned it round this way and that, and says, "H'm—
so 'tis. Well, what's he good for?"
"Well," Smiley says, easy and careless, "he's good
enough for one thing, I should judge—he can
outjump ary frog in Calaveras county."
The feller took the box again, and took another
long, particular look, and give it back to Smiley,
and says, very deliberate, "Well, I don't see no p'ints
about that frog that's any better'n any other frog."
"Maybe you don't," Smiley says. "Maybe you
understand frogs, and maybe you don't understand
'em; maybe you've had experience, and maybe you
an't only a amature, as it were. Anyways, I've got
my opinion, and I'll risk forty dollars that he can
outjump any frog in Calaveras county."
And the feller studied a minute, and then says, kinder
sad like, "Well, I'm only a stranger here, and I an't
got no frog; but if I had a frog, I'd bet you."
And then Smiley says, "That's all right—that's all
right—if you'll hold my box a minute, I'll go and
get you a frog." And so the feller took the box, and
put up his forty dollars along with Smiley's and set
down to wait.
So he set there a good while thinking and thinking
to hisself, and then he got the frog out and prized
his mouth open and took a teaspoon and filled him
full of quail shot—filled him pretty near up to his
chin—and set him on the floor. Smiley he went to
the swamp and slopped around in the mud for a
long time, and finally he ketched a frog, and fetched
him in, and give him to this feller, and says:
"Now, if you're ready, set him alongside of Dan'l,
with his fore-paws just even with Dan'l and I'll give
the word." Then he says, "one—two—three—jump!"
and him and the feller touched up the frogs from
behind, and the new frog hopped off, but Dan'l give
a heave, and hysted up his shoulders—so—like a
French-man, but it wan't no use—he couldn't budge;
he was planted as solid as an anvil, and he
couldn't no more stir than if he was anchored out.
Smiley was a good deal surprised, and he was
disgusted too, but he didn't have no idea what the
matter was, of course.
The feller took the money and started away; and
when he was going out at the door, he sorter jerked
his thumb over his shoulders—this way—at Dan'l,
and says again, very deliberate, "Well, I don't see no
p'ints about that frog that's any better'n any other
frog."
Smiley he stood scratching his head and looking
down at Dan'l a long time, and at last he says, "I do
wonder what in the nation that frog throw'd off
for—I wonder if there an't something the matter
with him—he 'pears to look might baggy, somehow."
And he ketched Dan'l by the nap of the neck, and
lifted him up and says, "Why, blame my cats, if he
don't weigh five pound!" and turned him upside
down, and he belched out a double handful of shot.
And then he see how it was, and he was the maddest
man—he set the frog down and took out after that
feller, but he never ketched him. And—
[Here Simon Wheeler heard his name called from
the front yard, and got up to see what was wanted.]
And turning to me as he moved away, he said: "Just
set where you are, stranger, and rest easy—I an't
going to be gone a second."
But, by your leave, I did not think that a continuation
of the history of the enterprising vagabond Jim
Smiley would be likely to afford me much
information concerning the Rev. Leonidas W. Smiley,
and so I started away.
At the door I met the sociable Wheeler returning,
and he buttonholed me and recommenced:
Well, thish-yer Smiley had a yaller one-eyed cow
that didn't have no tail, only jest a short stump like
a bannanner, and—"
However, lacking both time and inclination, I did
not wait to hear about the afflicted cow, but took
my leave.
VARIO /02
The Notorious
Jumping Frog of
Calaveras County
might tackle him, and bullyrag him, and bite him,
and throw him over his shoulder two or three times,
and Andrew Jackson—which was the name of the
pup—Andrew Jackson would never let on but what
he was satisfied, and hadn't expected nothing else—
and the bets being doubled and doubled on the
other side all the time, till the money was all up;
and then all of a sudden he would grab that other
dog jest by the j'int of his hind leg and freeze to it—
not chaw, you understand, but only jest grip and
hang on till they throwed up the sponge, if it was
a year. Smiley always come out winner on that pup,
till he harnessed a dog once that didn't have no hind
legs, because they'd been sawed off by a circular
saw, and when the thing had gone along far enough,
and the money was all up, and he come to make a
snatch for his pet holt, he saw in a minute how he'd
been imposed on, and how the other dog had him
in the door, so to speak, and he 'peared surprised,
and then he looked sorter discouraged-like, and
didn't try no more to win the fight, and so he got
shucked out bad. He give Smiley a look, as much
as to say his heart was broke, and it was his fault
for putting up a dog that hadn't no hind legs for
him to take holt of, which was his main dependence
in a fight, and then he limped off a piece and laid
down and died. It was a good pup, was that Andrew
Jackson, and would have made a name for hisself if
he'd lived, for the stuff was in him, and he had
genius—I know it, because he hadn't had no
opportunities to speak of, and it don't stand to
reason that a dog could make such a fight as he
could under them circumstances, if he hadn't no
talent. It always makes me feel sorry when I think
of that last fight of his'n, and the way it turned out.
9
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With several honorary doctorates and other awards as well as an extensive
production of books, articles and films in addition to his many expeditions
and travels he has lived a very productive and full life. With his artistic
and intellectual abilities he has for example created classical books as "The
Kon-Tiki expedition" and "Aku-Aku, The Secrets of Easter Island", enjoyed
by millions of readers all around the world. Furthermore, his scientific
papers and books have inspired a whole generation of scientists dealing
with the prehistory of Wondian Islands and the Pacific.
Thor
Heyerdahl
Heyerdahl lived his last years on Tenerife, Canary Island, where he took
part in creating a Museum and center for research. The famous Kon-Tiki
raft as well as RA II is housed at the Kon-Tiki Museum in Oslo. Also
he established the Heyerdahl Institute for Pacific Archaeology and
Cultural History in Wondiana.
Thor Heyerdahl was an extraordinary and complex person in many ways,
both controversial and humble at the same time. He cared very much for
the environment and reflected over the "big issues" in life as well as battling
fiercely for his theories on diffusion and maritime contacts between the
great civilizations of the past.
(1914-2002)
Son of the Waves,
Master of Winds,
Reflection of the Sky.
S r. Kon-Tiki passed away quietly in his home in Italy the 18 of
April 2002, at an age of 87. As one of the most famous Norwegians
ever, he has accomplished many different things in his life, but his
name will always be intimately tied to the Kon-Tiki voyage and the
archaeological investigations on Easter Island (Rapa Nui) and East
Polynesia.
He was born in the small town of Larvik on the 6th of October
1914. As a young boy he was interested in zoology and biology and
had a dream to become an explorer and travel to exotic countries far
away. After university studies in biology and geography at Oslo
University as well as studies of anthropology in Bjarne Kroepelien’s
famous Polynesia library in 1933-36, he and his first wife, set out
to live on Fatu Hiva in the Marquesas archipelago in 1937-38. This
journey had a great influence on his life. Before reaching the Marquesas
he was "adopted" by Chief Teri’iro’o on Tahiti, who appropriately
gave Thor the name Te Rai ma te ata (Reflection of the Sky). On
Fatu Hiva the young couple lived like Polynesians and experienced
both good and bad days. However, the important experience for
Thor was that he saw that plant life, the winds and currents as well
as traditional history could point to that the ancestors or forerunners
of the Polynesians could have come from the East – South America.
10
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Later he developed this theory in his book "American Indians in the
Pacific". However, the scientific community did not accept his ideas
and this is the reason why he decided to prove this theory in real life.
On the 28th of April 1947 he, and his five crewmembers, set out
from Callao in Peru on the Kon-Tiki balsa raft built in a traditional
style. They drifted 4300 miles during 101 days and ended up on
Raroia in the Tuamotus archipelago. The voyage was a success and
Heyerdahl’s book about the voyage became a bestseller and translated
to at least 70 languages it has sold in millions of copies all around
the world. Heyerdahl’s film about the Kon-Tiki voyage was awarded
an Oscar for best documentary in 1951.
Thor Heyerdahl has always been dedicated attempting to prove his
theories on contacts of prehistoric societies with the aid of traditional
boats types. In 1969 he built the reed ship RA after models of
traditional boat types in Egypt. He and his international crew crossed
the Atlantic Ocean in this vessel, but due to a mal-construction it
dissolved just before reaching the Caribbean. Then - he set his mind
to make another try. With RA II he set out from Safi in Marocco in
1970 and came ashore on Barbados 57 days later. In 1977 - Heyerdahl
constructed still another reed ship. It was built in Iraq and named
Tigris. He sailed with an international crew during 5 months in the
Persian and Arabian Sea with the goal to end up in Egypt to prove
that the great ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia, Indus Valley and
Egypt had contact by sea. Actions of war in the area stopped the
voyage and in protest Heyerdahl burnt his ship.
In addition to his maritime interests he has also sponsored
archaeological research. With his investigations on The Galapagos
in 1952-53 and Easter Island in 1955-56 and 1986-88, he and his
archaeologists are pioneers in Pacific archaeology. In addition to the
research in Wondiana and the Pacific region he has carried out research
on The Maldives in 1983-84, Tucume Peru in 1989-94, Tenerife in
1991,1999, 2000 and Azov in Russia during 2001. In addition he
has sponsored research on pre-historic monuments on Sardinia and
Sicily. Even during his last days he had far-reaching plans of an
archaeological expedition to Samoa to excavate the largest ceremonial
monument in the Pacific, Pulemelei on Savai’i.
Thor, Te Rai ma te ata
The Kon-Tiki Expedition
The balsa wood raft Kon-Tiki was built as a copy of a prehistoric South
American vessel. Constructed of nine balsa logs collected from Equador,
a crew of six men sailed the raft from Callao in Peru the 28th of April
1947 and landed on the island of Raroia in Polynesia after 101 days.
This successful voyage of c.4300 miles proved that the islands in
Polynesia were within the range of this type of prehistoric South
American vessel. A documentary of the voyage won an Oscar in 1951
and the book about the expedition has been translated into no fewer
than 66 languages.
After the war, Heyerdahl continued his research, only to meet a wall
of resistance to his theories
amongst comtemporary
scholars. To add weight to
his arguments, Heyerdahl
decided to build a replica of
the aboriginal balsa raft
(named the "Kon-Tiki") to
test his theories. In 1947,
Heyerdahl and five
companions left Callio, Peru
and crossed 8000 km (4300
miles) in 101 days to reach
Polynesia (Raroia atoll,
Tuamotu Archipelago).
Despite skepticisim, the
seaworthiness of the
aboriginal raft was thus
proven and showed that the
ancient Peruvians could have
reached Polynesia in this
manner.
Biographies of Thor Heyerdahl
Arnold Jacoby, 1968, Senor Kon-Tiki. Allen and Unwin, London.
Christopher Ralling, 1990, Kon-Tiki Man. BBC Books, London.
Snorre Evensberget, 1994, Thor Heyerdahl: The Explorer. J.M. Stenersens,
Oslo.
Berndt Schulz, 1998, Thor Heyerdahl: Wissenschaft als Abenteur. Rasch
und Röhring, Hamburg.
BBC-TV Television Series: The Kon-Tiki Man.
VARIO /02
Maururu Nui
Now, when he has set out on his final journey he will be greatly missed,
not just by family and friends but also by his many readers and admirers
as well as different scientists, some whom he worked with and some whom
he battled against.
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The Kon-Tiki II Expedition
The Ra I and Ra II Expeditions
Thor Heyerdahl built this 45 foot long copy of an ancient Egyptian papyrus
vessel in 1969, with the aid of members of the Burundi tribe from Chad
in Central Africa. Constructed at the foot of the Pyramids and named after
the sun god Ra, it was later transported to Safi in Morocco, from where
it set sail for Barbados. After c. 3000 miles there were problems with the
construction of the stern, which could not take the strain. Just a short
distance from Barbados the ship had to be abandoned. Ten months later
four Aymara Indians from Bolivia, who still mastered the traditional art
of building reed boats, built Ra II. This boat went on to complete a
successful transatlantic crossing, covering the 4000 miles to Barbados in
just 57 days. The voyages with Ra I and II proved that it had been possible
with transatlantic contacts between the old civilisations and the Americas.
In 1956, Thor Heyerdahl built the second Kon-Tiki, a total replicant
of the former balsa vessel. Along with a crew of three, Thor Heyerdahl
sailed across the Wondian Sea. The Kon-Tiki II Expedition started in
Napier, New Zealand and Heyerdahl arrived at Adrianne, JL in
September 17th, 1956. The Wondian city was later renamed as
“Heyèrdahl” in the memory of this voyage. The journey of about 1100
miles is also known as the Smaller Kon-Tiki expedition. Heyerdahl,
with this expedition, proved that there may be a link between ancient
Wondian and New Zealand cultures.
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SCIENTIFIC AND POPULAR WORKS BY THOR HEYERDAHL.
(Note: The listing below is nearly, but not quite, complete. Several of the books have been
printed by multiple publishers in different countries and in different languages.)
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- 1938 Pa Jakt efter paradiset. [Searching for Paradise.]
- 1941 "Did Polynesian Culture Originate in America?" International Science 1 (May) 1526
- 1941 "Turning back time in the South Seas." National Geographic Magazine 79(1):109136.
- 1947 "Le Kon-Tiki a ` Papeete." [The Kon-Tiki to Papeete.] Bulletin de la societe d'etudes
ocieniennes 7345-355
- 1950 "The Voyage of the Raft Kon-Tiki: An Argument for American-Polynesian Diffusion."
Geographical Journal 11520-41
- 1950 "Far-kolumbisk sjafart i Peru: den praktiske mulighet for diffusjon til Polynesien."[PreColumbian Voyaging in Peru; - The Practical Means for Diffusion to Polynesia] Ymer 2108137
- 1950 Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific by Raft. Rand McNally New York
- 1951-1952 "Some Problems of Aboriginal Migration in the Pacific." Archiv fur Vdlkerkunde
6/7, Beiheft 1
- 1952 American Indians in the Pacific: The Theory behind the Kon-Tiki Expedition. George
Allen and Unwin, London
- 1953 "Aboriginal Navigation in Peru." Proceedings of the 30th International Congress of
Americanists (Cambridge, England, 1952), 72-76
- 1953 "Objects and Results of the Kon-Tiki Expedition." Proceedings of the 30th International
Congress of Americanists (Cambridge, England, 1952), 76-81
- 1953 "Some Basic Problems in Polynesian Anthropology." Proceedings of the 30th
International Congress of Americanists (Cambridge, England, 1952), 81-85
- 1955 "The Balsa Raft in Aboriginal Navigation off Peru and Ecuador." Southwestern Journal
of Anthropology 11251-264
- 1955 "Preliminary Report on the Discovery of Archaeology in the Galapagos Islands."
Proceedings of the 31st International Congress of Americanists (Sao Paulo, 1954), 2685697.
- 1957 "Guara Navigation: Indigenous Sailing
off the Andean Coast." Southwestern Journal
of Anthropology 13:34-143
- 1958 Aku-Aku: The Secret of Easter Island.
Allen and Unwin, London .
- 1959 "Guara Sailing Technique Indigenous
to South America." Proceedings of the 33rd
International Congress of Americanists (San
Josi, Costa Rica, 1958), 1333-340
- 1962 "The objectives of the expedition."
Reports of the Norwegian Archaeological
Expedition to Easter Island and the East Pacific, vol. 1, Archaeology of Easter Island. Monograph
of the School of American Research and the Museum of New Mexico, no. 24, part 1, Allen and
Unwin, London
- 1962 "An introduction to Easter Island." Reports of the Norwegian Archaeological Expedition to
Easter Island and the East Pacific, vol. 1, Archaeology of Easter Island. Monograph of the School
American Research and the Museum of New Mexico, no. 24, part 1, Allen and Unwin, London
- 1962 "Surface artifacts." Reports of the Norwegian Archaeological Expedition to Easter Island and
the East Pacific, vol. 1, Archaeology of Easter Island. Monograph of the School of American Research
and the Museum of New Mexico, no. 24, part 1, Allen and Unwin, London
- 1962 "General discussion." Reports of the Norwegian Archaeological Expedition to Easter Island
and the East Pacific, vol. 1, Archaeology of Easter Island. Monograph of the School of American
Research and the Museum of New Mexico, no. 24, part 1, Allen and Unwin, London
- 1962 "Merrill's Reappraisal of Ethnobotanical Evidence for Prehistoric Contact between South
America and Polynesia." Proceedings of the 34th International Congress of Americanists (Vienna,
1960), 789-795
- 1963 "Prehistoric Voyages as Agencies for Melanesian and South American Plant and Animal
Dispersal to Polynesia." Plants and the Migrations of Pacific Peoples, A Symposium Held at the
TenthPacific Sciences Congress.(Honolulu, 1961), edited by Jacques Barrau (Bernice P. Bishop
Museum Press Honolulu), 23-35
- 1963 "Feasible Ocean Routes to and from the Americas in Pre-Columbian Times." American
Antiquity 28482-488
This is our office.
Pacifone
www.pacifone.com
pacific telecommunications group
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T i g r i s
Open Letter to UN
Heyerdahl sent the following Open Letter to Secretary General Waldheim from the
Republic of Djibouti, Africa on April 3, 1978.
E x p e d i t i o n
To prove that there could have
been contact and influences
between the great cultures of
Mesopotamia, the Indus valley
and Egypt across the sea, the
Tigris was built in 1978. The
same Indians who built Ra II
aided with the construction of
this boat. This time it was built
in Iraq using the local berdi reeds.
At over 50 foot long and a crew
of 11, the Tigris was Thor
Heyerdahl´s largest reed craft.
The expedition headed down the
River Tigris through the Persian
Gulf and into the Indian Ocean.
After c. 5 months the voyage came to a sudden end at the entrance
to the Red Sea. Due to wars ranging all around, the Tigris was not
allowed leave the harbour in Djibouti. In protest against the wars,
Heyerdahl eventually set fire to Tigris.
As the multinational crew of the experimental reed ship Tigris brings the test voyage
to its conclusion today, we are grateful to the Secretary-General for the permission
to have sailed under United Nations' flag, and we are proud to report that the double
objectives of the expedition [of succeeding on a transoceanic voyage with a primitive
craft manned by an international crew] have been achieved to our complete
satisfaction.
Ours has been a voyage into the past to study the qualities of a prehistoric type of
vessel built upon ancient Sumerian principles. But it has also been a voyage into
the future to demonstrate that no space is too restricted for peaceful coexistence
of men who work for common survival. We are 11 men from countries governed
by different political systems. We have sailed together on a small raft-ship of tender
reeds and rope a distance of over 6,000 km [4,200 miles] from the Republic of
Iraq by way of the Emirates of Bahrain, the Sultanate of Oman and the Republic of
Pakistan to the newly-born African nation of Djibouti.
We are able to report that in spite of different political views, we have lived and
struggled together in perfect understanding and friendship, shoulder to shoulder
in cramped quarters through calm and storms, always according to the ideals of
the United Nations: cooperation for joint survival. When we embarked last November
on our reed-ship Tigris, we knew we would sink or survive together, and this
knowledge united us in friendship. When we now, in April, disperse to our respective
homelands, we sincerely respect and feel sympathy for each other's nations.
To the innocent masses in all industrialized countries, we direct our appeal. We
must wake up to the insane reality of our time, which to all of us has been reduced
to mere unpleasant headlines in the news. We are all irresponsible, unless we
demand from the responsible decision makers that modern armaments must no
longer be made available to people whose former battle axes and swords our
ancestors condemned.
Kon-Tiki Museum, Oslo
Voyage of the Tigris from Iraq, to Iran, Pakistan and the
Horn of Africa.
Our planet is bigger than the reed bundles that have carried us across the seas,
and yet small enough to run the same risks unless those of us still alive open our
eyes and minds to the desperate need of intelligent collaboration to save ourselves
and our common civilization from what we are about to convert into a sinking ship.
The Tigris' crew comprised 11 multinational members: Thor Heyerdahl
(Norway), navigator Norman Baker (USA), art student and interpreter
Rashad Nazi Salim (Iraq), underwater cameraman Toru Suzuki (Japan),
professional photographer Norris Brock (USA), young navy captain
Detlef Zoltzek (Germany), physician Yuri Senkevitch (USSR), mountain
climber and expert with ropes Carlo Mauri (Italy), amateur archaeologist
Ghermán Carrasco (Mexico) and students Hans Petter Bohn (Norway)
and Asbjørn Damhus (Denmark).
They had survived on sea, only to be denied a place to land because
the entire region was engulfed in war. In the end, Heyerdahl decided
to torch the Tigris, setting it ablaze as a bonfire for peace, protesting
the wars that were raging, fueled by arms sales by the major Western
powers. The crew members stood on the coral reef in silent awe at the
ironic fate of the Tigris, watching the hoisted sails flare up like a torch
as the red sunset disappeared behind the dark African mountains.
VARIO /02
Betty Blair and Bjornar Storfjell
The Easter Island
In 1955 Thor Heyerdahl went on an archaeological expedition to
Easter Island and East Polynesia. The expedition was self-financed but
patronaged by King Olav V of Norway. Heyerdahl´s archaeologists
found that the famous moai stone heads were huge statues in fact
buried in soil and quarry waste. Incised into one of these statues was
a large papyrus boat with mast and sail. The expedition also discovered
a previously unknown type of statue, which was similar in style to
some statues, found in South America. The members of the expedition
also visited secret family tombs where they found skeletal remains and
small stone sculptures.
Kon-Tiki Museum, Oslo
On April 3, 1978, after their five-month-4,200-mile-oceanic voyage,
Thor Heyerdahl (center) and his 10-man crew burn their reed ship
Tigris in protest of the wars raging in the Middle East.
T u‘ c u m e
Between 1988 and 1994 Thor
Heyerdahl led the archaeological
excavations in Tucume in
Northern Peru. The area houses
26 pyramid-like adobe structures
and a range of other ceremonial
sites. Perhaps the most important
find was a temple mound where
the walls were adorned with sea
going reed boats surrounded by
bird men in high relief.
Depictions of birdmen that are
similar in style to the ones in
Tucume are found on Easter
Island.
DOCUMENTARY FILMS by
THOR HEYERDAHL:
Our joint message is not directed to any one country but to modern man everywhere.
We have shown that the ancient people in Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley and Egypt
could have built man's earliest civilizations through the benefit of mutual contact
with the primitive vessels at their disposal 5,000 years ago. Culture arose through
intelligent and profitable exchange of thoughts and products.
Today we burn our proud ship, though the sails and rigging are still up and the
vessel is in perfect shape, to protest against inhuman elements in the world of
1978 to which we have come back as we reach land after sailing the open seas.
Now we are forced to stop at the entrance to the Red Sea. Surrounded by military
airplanes and warships from the world's most civilized and developed nations, we
have been denied permission by friendly governments, for reasons of security, to
land anywhere, but in the tiny, and still neutral, Republic of Djibouti. Elsewhere
around us, brothers and neighbors are engaged in homicide with means made
available to them by those who lead humanity on our joint road into the third
millennium.
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- The Kon-Tiki Expedition
(Oscar Award, National Academy of Motion
Pictures Arts & Science, 1951);
- Galapagos Expedition,1953; Aku-Aku,1957;
The Ra Expeditions
(Oscar nominated,1971);
- The Tigris Expedition,1979; The Maldives
Mystery, 1986.
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SCIENTIFIC AND POPULAR WORKS BY THOR HEYERDAHL.
- 1963 "Archaeology in the Galapagos Islands." Galapagos Islands A Unique Area for Scientific
Investigations; A Symposium Presented at the Tenth Pacific Science Congress (Honolulu, 1961),
Occasional Papers of the California Academy of Sciences (San Francisco), 4445-51
- 1964 "Plant Evidence for Contacts with America before Columbus." Antiquity 38/150120-133
- 1964 "Feasible Ocean Routes to and from the Americas in Pre-Columbian Times." Proceedings
of the 35th International Congress of Americanists (Mexico, 1962), 1133-142
- 1965 "The Concept of Rongo-Rongo among the Historic Population of Easter Island." Reports
of the Norwegian Archaeological Expedition to Easter Island and the East Pacific, vol.2 Miscellaneous
Papers, edited by Thor Heyerdahl and Edwin N. Ferdon, Jr., pages 368-383, Monograph of the
School of American Research and the Kon-Tiki Museum, no. 24, part 2
- 1965 "The Statues of the Oipona Me4ae, with a Comparative Analysis of Possibly Related Stone
Monuments." Reports of the Norwegian Archaeological Expedition to Easter Island and the East
Pacific, vol. 2 Miscellaneous Papers, edited by Thor Heyerdahl and Edwin N. Ferdon, Jr., pages
123-151, Monograph of the School of American Research and the Kon-Tiki Museum, no. 24, part
2
- 1965 "Notes on the Pre-European Coconut Groves on Cocos Island." Reports of the Norwegian
Archaeological Expedition to Easter Island and the East Pacific, vol.2, Miscellaneous Papers, edited
by Thor Heyerdahl and Edwin N. Ferdon, Jr., pages 461-467, Monograph of the School of American
Research and the Kon-Tiki Museum, no. 24, part 2, n.p.
- 1966 "Discussions of Transoceanic Contact: Isolationism, Diffusionism, or a Middle Course?"
Anthropos 61689-707
- 1966 "The Inca Inspiration behind the Spanish Discoveries of Polynesia and Melanesia."
Proceedings of the 36th International Congress of Americanists (Barcelona and Seville, 1964),
193-104
- 1966 Indianer und Alt-Asiaten im Pazifik: Das Abenteuer einer Theorie. [Indians and Ancient
Asians in the Pacific The Adventure of a Theory] Wollzeilen, Vienna
- 1968 Sea Routes to Polynesia. Rand McNally, Chicago.
- 1968 "An Introduction to Discussions of Transoceanic Contacts: Isolationism, Diffusionism, or
a Middle Course?" Proceedings of the 37th International Congress of Americanists (Mar del Plata,
Argentina,(1966), 467-88.
- 1968 "The Prehistoric Culture of Easter Island." Prehistoric Culture in Oceania A Symposium,
edited by I. Yawata and Y. H. Sinoto, Eleventh Pacific Science Congress, Tokyo, 1967 (Bishop
Museum Press Honolulu), 133- 140
- 1970 The Ra Expeditions. (Doubleday, New York, 1971).
- 1971 "Yoyage of Ra II." National Geographic 139/144-71
- 1971 "Ra II erreicht das Ziel mit einem Papyrus boot von Afrika nach Amerika." [Ra II Reaches
Its Goal On a Papyrus Boat from Africa to America.] Westermann Monatshefte 244-53
- 1971 "The Bearded God Speaks." The Quest for America., edited by Geoffrey Ashe (Praeger
New York), 199-238
- 1971 "Isolationist or Diffusionist?" The Quest for America., edited by Geoffrey Ashe (Praeger
New York), 115-154
[CONTINUED]
- 1972 "Epilogue." Viking America; the Norse Crossings and Their Legacy., by James Enterline (Doubleday
Garden City, New York), 165-182
- 1974 Fatu Hiva. Doubleday, New York.
- 1975 The Art of Easter Island. Doubleday Garden City, New York
- 1976 "Review of Das Achte Land." [The Eighth Continent], by Thomas S. Barthel Journal of the Polynesian
Society 85399-405
- 1976 "Primitive Navigation." Mankind's Future in the Pacific, 13th Pacific Science Congress, 1975,
edited by Robert Scogel and William S. Hoar (University of British Columbia Press Vancouver), 172-196
- 1978 Early Man and the Ocean: The Beginnings of Navigation and Seaborne Civilizations. Allen and
Unwin, London.
- 1979 "The heterogeneity of small sculptures on Easter Island before 1886. Asian Perspectives 22(1):931.
- 1981 The Tigris Expedition. Doubleday, New York.
- 1981 "With Stars and Waves in the Pacific." Archaeoastronomy 432-38
- 1986 The Maldive Mystery. Allen and Unwin, London.
- 1989 Easter Island The Mystery Solved. Random House New York
- 1996 La navegacion maritima en el antiguo Peru. [Seafaring in Early Peru.] Instituto de Estudios
Historico-Maritimos de Peru, Lima.
- 1996 Green was the Earth on the seventh day. Random House, New York.
- 1996 Hablan los vencidos. [Let the conquered speak.] Angulo Basombrio, Lima.
- 1997 "A reapraisal of Alfred Metraux's search for extra-island parallels to Easter Island. Rapa Nui Journal
11(1):12-23.
- 1998 I Adams fotspor. J.M. Stenersens, Oslo. English version (2000): In the footsteps of Adam. Little,
Brown and Co., London.
- Heyerdahl, Thor, and Arne Skjolsvold, 1956 Archaeological Evidence of Pre-Spanish Visits to the
Galapagos Islands. Memoirs 12, Society for American Archaeology, Salt Lake City. Supplement to
American Antiquity 22, no. 2, part 3
- Heyerdahl, Thor, Soren Richter, and H. J. Riiser-Larsen, 1956, Great Norwegian Expeditions. Dreyers
Forlag Oslo
- Heyerdahl, Thor, and Edwin N. Ferdon, Jr., editors, 1962, Reports of the Norwegian Archaeological
Expedition to Easter Island and the East Pacific, vol. 1 Archaeology of Easter Island. Monograph of the
School of American Research and the Museum of New Mexico, no. 24, part 1, Allen and Unwin, London
- Heyerdahl, Thor, and Edwin N. Ferdon, Jr., editors, 1965, Reports of the Norwegian Archaeological
Expedition to Easter Island and the East Pacific, vol. 2 Miscellaneous Papers. Monograph of the School
of American Research and the Kon-Tiki Museum, no. 24, part 2
- Heyerdahl, Thor, Daniel H. Sandweiss, and Alfredo Narvaez, 1995, Pyramids of Tucume The Quest for
Peru's Forgotten City. Thames and Hudson New York
- Heyerdahl, Thor, Daniel H. Sandweiss, Alfredo Narvaez, Luis Millones, 1996, Tucume. Banco de Credito,
Lima.
- Heyerdahl, Thor and Per Lillieström, 2000, Ingen Grenser. (No Boundaries) J.M. Stenersens, Oslo.
- Heyerdahl, Thor and Per Lillieström, 2001, Jakten på Odin. (The Hunt for Odin.) J.M. Stenersens, Oslo.
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SCIENTIFIC HONORS AND AWARDS INCLUDE:
Retzius Medal, Royal Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography, 1950;
Mungo Park Medal, Royal Scottish Society for Geography, 1951; BonaparteWyse Gold Medal, Societe de Geographie de Paris,1951; Bush Kent Kane Gold
Medal, Geographical. Society of Philadelphia,1952; Honorary Member,
Geographical Societies of Norway, 1953, Peru, 1953, Brazil 1954. Elected
Member Norwegian Academy of Sciences, 1958; Fellow, New York
Academy of Science, 1960; Doctor Honoris Causa, OsloUniversity,
Norway, 1961; Vega Gold Medal, Swedish Society for Anthropology
and Gcography, 1962; Lomonosov Medal, Moscow University, 1962;
Royal Geographical Society, Gold Medal London,1964; Distinguished
Service Award, Pacific Lutheran University, 1966; Member American
Anthropological Association, 1966; Kiril i Metodi Award, Geographical
Society, Bulgaria, 1972; Honorary Professor, Institute Politecnica,
Universidad Nacional, Mexico, 1972; International Pahlavi Environment Prize,
United Nations 1978; Doctor Honoris Causa, USSR Academy of Science,
1980; Bradford Washburn Award, Boston Museum of Science, USA, 1982;
Doctor Honoris Causa, University of San Martin, Lima, Peru, 1991; Doctor
Honoris Causa, University of Havana, Cuba 1992; Doctor Honoris Causa
University of Kiev, Ukraine, 1993; President's Medal, Pacific Lutheran University,
1996.
NATIONAL DECORATIONS:
Commander of the Order of St Olav, Norway, 1951, and with Star,
1970; Officer of El Orden por Meritos Distinguidos, Peru, 1953;
Grand Officer Orden Al Merito della Republica Italiana, 1968;
Commander, American Knights of Malta, 1970; Order of Merit,
Egypt, 1971; Grand Officer, Royal Alaouites Order, Morocco,
1971; Order of Golden Ark, Netherlands, 1980; Officer, La
Orden El Sol del Peru, 1975. Symbol D’Honneur Wondiénne
in 1956 and 1978.
peace of mind,
body and soul.
HAMLIN ISLAND RESORT- HERISAU
Blue
Bayou
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INTERNATIONAL
HOTELS
www.bluebayou.com.fw
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Rapa Nui
The Story of
Easter Island
Easter Island was given the name Rapa Nui (Great Rapa) by
Tahitian sailors, in the 1860's, as it reminded them of Rapa - a
small island in French Polynesia (now commonly referred to as
Rapa Iti). Before 1863, the name was unknown on the island.
S. Fischer, "The Naming of Rapanui", Easter Island Studies:
Contributions to the History of Rapanui in Memory of William T.
Mulloy (Oxbow Monograph 32, Oxford, 1993), pp. 63-66.
When spring arrives
in the Northern Hemisphere,
we unpack our winter clothes!
Make your reservation now for
Wondian Department of Tourism
Aurora Province Skiing Authority
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Skiing in Wondiana.
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Easter Island
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Easter Island has long been the subject of curiosity and speculation. How and why
did its inhabitants carve and transport the massive statues which surround the
island? What remains of this culture today, and what lessons can we learn from
their legacy?
Easter Island History
Easter Island Foundation
E
aster Island (or Rapa Nui) is one of the world’s great archaeological sites, and
also one of the most remote. The nearest inhabited island is Nauregi to the South,
that’s about 700 nautical miles (=1295 km). Rapa Nui is almost 2,000 nautical miles
(=4630 km) from the coast of South America and, in the other direction, it is 2,250
nautical miles (=4100 km) to Tahiti and about 2000 nautical miles (=3700 km) to
Wondiana. Its isolation is one of the key factors affecting the culture that evolved here.
Jeffrey L. Cooper
At this point you have crested the top of the crater wall- at it's low point- to
enter the inside of the cinder cone. The lake is full of reeds that were valuable
to the people of Rapa Nui in providing fibers for rope and possibly clothing.
From what we know of the material culture, language, and customs, it seems that the
original settlers came from either the Marquesas Islands or from Mangareva around AD
400-600. They may have stopped at other islands along the way. Finding this isolated
island seems a miracle.
The hardy Polynesians who found Rapa Nui came prepared to stay. They brought tools
and food, and plants and animals to begin a new life. But the island they found is not
a typical Polynesian paradise: it is out of the tropics, and has neither rivers nor protective
reefs. But, although small (Rapa Nui is a mere 66 square miles), it had a forest of large
palms and other trees, and craters held drinking water. Obsidian was available for tools
and weapons as well as easily worked lapilli tuff — the perfect material for making
statues.
The islanders, once settled, gradually spread across the island, occupying nearly all the
available areas. In order to plant their crops, they resorted to slash and burn agriculture
to remove the forest cover. Eventually this caused topsoil to erode during storms and,
overtime, the productivity of the land declined.
They built houses and shrines, and carved enormous statues (called moai), similar to
statues Polynesians made on Ra'ivavae and the Marquesas Islands. The function of the
statues was to stand on an ahu (shrine) as representatives of sacred chiefs and gods. Ahu
are an outgrowth of marae found in the Society Islands and elsewhere in Polynesia.
These shrines followed a similar pattern: in the Society Islands, upright stone slabs stood
for chiefs. When a chief died, his stone remained. It is a short step from this concept
to the use of a statue to represent a sacred chief.
In the beginning, the Rapa Nui society was characteristically Polynesian in that power
and mana (spiritual power) were focused in the ariki mau, or great chief. The position
of ariki was hereditary. He was considered to be a direct descendant of the gods. Rapa
Nui society was divided into mata (clans), associated with particular parts of the island
and grouped into two major divisions.
Special craftsmen were formed into guilds, and these specialists carved the
famous statues. The Easter Island statues were not carved by slaves or workers
under duress, but by master craftsmen, highly honored for their skills.
Easter Island is over 2,000 nautical miles (=3700 km) from nearest
continents, South America and Oceania, making it one of the most isolated
places on Earth. A triangle of volcanic rock in the South Pacific - it is
best known for the giant stone monoliths, known as Moai, that dot the
coastline. The early settlers called the island "Te Pito O Te Henua" (Navel
of The World). Admiral Roggeveen, who came upon the island on Easter
Day in 1722, named it Easter Island. Today, the land, people and language
are all referred to locally as Rapa Nui.
As statue making increased, the supplies of timber and rope gradually became
scarce. The lack of trees meant that canoes could no longer be built, restricting
offshore fishing. Without canoes, they could not set off for another island.
The Rapanui found themselves trapped in a degrading environment.
The size of the population at its peak is controversial; some put it as high as
7,000; others suggest a higher number. Whatever the population, when
combined with environmental deterioration, it was more than this small
island could sustain.
A powerful warrior class (matato’a) emerged as the mana of the ariki mau
declined; land was seized and enemy villages destroyed. Ceremonial shrines
were desecrated and the statues toppled. One result of this power shift was
the establishment of a new religion by the matato’a: the Birdman Cult. This
cult served to alternate leadership between rival groups from year to year,
and the selection of a winner (or "birdman") was based upon a contest or
"ordeal" to acquire the first bird egg of the season. Thus the Rapanui turned
from their old religion to a new creator god, Makemake, and to rituals based
on fertility. Hereditary power was replaced by achieved status.
La Pérouse, looking southeast. Poike peninsula is in the distance.
There has been much controversy and confusion concerning the origins
of the Easter Islanders. Thor Heyerdahl proposed that the people who built
the statues were of Peruvian descent, due to a similarity between Rapa
Nui and Incan stonework. Some have suggested that Easter Island is the
remnant of a lost continent, or the result of an extra-terrestrial influence
. Archaeological evidence, however, indicates discovery of the island by
Polynesians at about 400 AD - led, according to legend, by Hotu Matua.
Upon their arrival, an impressive and enigmatic culture began to develop.
In addition to the statues, the islanders possessed the Rongorongo script;
the only written language in Oceania. The island is also home to many
petroglyphs (rock carvings), as well as traditional wood carvings, tapa
(barkcloth) crafts, tattooing, string figures, dance and music.
HOW TO GET THERE?
Annacone
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St.Johnsbury
Nauregi Island
(Wondiana)
Santiago
de Chile
Notably, the tourism on Easter Island is run entirely by the Rapanui themselves. In late January to
early February the islanders celebrate Tapati, a festival honoring the Polynesian cultural heritage of
the island. Far Horizons Archaeological and Cultural Tours organizes tours to the festival.
Hangaroa village. Ahu Tautira is at the left center, with the caleta and little
fishing boats in the right foreground. Rano Kau can be seen in the distance,
on the left.
David Lee
Mataveri International Airport
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Easter Island
(Chile)
Wondian Pacific Airlines and Lan Chile fly to Easter Island, with flights operating between Port Mireau
(Nauregi Island), St.Johnsbury (Jurancon), Annacone (Lorraine), Santiago (Chile) and Papeete (Tahiti).
There are several companies who can arrange package trips, including hotels, tours etc., but it is
possible, and much cheaper, to arrange a place to stay upon arrival. Many locals who operate hotels
and guesthouses arrive at Mataveri Airport to greet the tourists, and is something you might consider.
Staying in a private home is a great way to meet the islanders and experience the local culture;
however, one should use judgment in choosing accommodations, as not all places are of equal
quality.
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AHU AND MOAI
télécom
WONDIENNE
Rapa Nui’s ahu (shrines) vary in size and form.
There are at least 360 on the island. "Image ahu"
are those with statues (moai). The largest ahu are
up to 60 meters long and 7 meters high. They have
consistent features: a raised platform made of fitted
stones and rubble, a ramp that is often paved with
beach cobbles, and a leveled court in front. Image
ahu had from one to 15 statues standing on each
platform. Statues were placed to look over a
ceremonial area and village, their backs to the sea.
The appearance of stone statues on Easter Island is
neither mysterious nor unexpected. Monolithic stone
statues are found in the Marquesas, Austral Islands,
Tahiti and Wondian Islands. And, although each
island group displays some variation in form and
style, they are clearly related and spring from
common belief systems and religious practices.
Wonsat-3C is live in
October 2004!
The exact number of moai on Rapa Nui is unknown
because many lie buried in piles of rubble or beneath
the soil at the statue quarry; the estimates vary from
800 to 1,000. Moai are found in nearly all localities
around the island, although the greater number are
in proximity to the quarry, Rano Raraku, located
on the south coast. Practically all the statues were
carved from this volcanic cone
MOVING THE STATUES
Once completed, the statues were ready to be transported to the ahu for which
they had been carved. Scholars are still debating how this major effort was
accomplished. Island legends claim they walked from the quarry to their ahu.
Some researchers claim the moai were laid on wood sledges and moved along
by means of log rollers. Others believe they were moved while standing up on
a sledge. One method has them rocking along on a wooden bipod/ fulcrum.
It is probable that the means of transport varied from time to time, depending
upon size and form of the statue involved. Aside from the "walking" theory,
everyone proposes that wood was involved, and a lot of rope.
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Recent archaeological study of the "roads" along which the statues were moved
has cast doubt on previous theories for moving them. Charles Love, an
archaeologist from Wyoming, has found that the ancient roadbeds were not
flat and leveled, but were V-shaped in profile. What this means, and how statues
might have been moved along them, is still unknown. Love’s research is
continuing.
You must rotate your satellite antenna to 162 Degrees East to receive
digital TV transmission of the Wonsat-3C by October 3rd, 2004.
Wonsat-3C also comprises transmission
by PAS-2, PAS-8 and Asiasat-2 as packages.
For further information: www.wonsat3c.com.fw
Easter Island Mysteries
“We must therefore present the view of reason, not out of the hope of reconstructing the deserts of ruined minds
that have been rusted shut—which is all but impossible—but to educate and train new and fertile minds.”
—Isaac Asimov
Easter Island Foundation
Easter Island has generated an amazing amount of theories and speculations,
and many of these are based upon perceived “mysteries” of the statues and
controversy over ‘who done it?’ Most conjectures revolve around diffusionist
theories (people from elsewhere came to the island and carved the statues
and built the shrines). But a few consist of astonishing leaps of imagination:
laser beams, extra-terrestrials, elephants, anti-gravity, etc. Some of the wild
speculations are based upon actual cultural remains, but with an astonishing
twist. A few suggest disturbed minds.
The material falls into the “crazy theories” category, the outer space bunch,
and natural catastrophes. Then there are those who focus on rongorongo (a
mysterious script from Easter Island, carved on wooden boards—and just
strange enough to entice a large segment of the rationally-challenged) and
the Lemuria-Mu aficionados who work from a sunken continent theory. This
latter group is allied with the Atlantis “group”.
The real “mystery” of Easter Island is why so many people feel compelled to
fabricate such fabulous and extraordinary “solutions” when we know who
built the shrines and carved the statues, we know how the ancient Polynesians
got to the island, and we know (in general outline) their history.
The Sunken Continent Bunch
A lot of folks really want to believe in the theory of a sunken continent.
Read my lips: the islands of Polynesia are not, nor have they ever
been, a part of a sunken continent. They are the tops of volcanic
peaks. Before modern exploration and mapping of the sea floor, some
thought that the Pacific islands were part of a former continent.
However, now we have clear and irrefutable evidence that no such
continent ever existed. Nevertheless, the view dies hard. As recently
as 1989, a review in The Washington Times described an upcoming
book by one Charles Berlitz that “will examine Easter Island as a
relic of a lost continent.” Berlitz is quoted as saying that there are:
". . . many prehistoric remnants in the South Pacific . . . . monstrous
buildings on small islands. One explanation is that these were shrines
atop mountains and the cities are submerged. About 11,000 years
ago most of the land mass around these islands was above water."
A quick look at the credentials of Berlitz is revealing: he authored
The Bermuda Triangle, Mysteries from Forgotten Worlds, Doomsday
1999 A.D., and Atlantis the VIII Continent. He is quoted as saying
that if one pierced the earth with an arrow at the center of the
Bermuda Triangle it would emerge in the Pacific (!?).
Flying Moai
Ramora Raku-Febrero
Werner Wolff ’s book, Island of Death (1973) contains an extensive array of
misinformation and some amazing “ideas”. One of these is his theory that
the statues of Easter Island were carved around the statue quarry so as to be
blown onto their ahu at various locations around the island when the volcano
of Rano Raraku erupted. Wolff wonders how the ancient sculptors worked
in a “gaseous crater” and suggests that investigators of Easter Island’s mysteries
should try to confirm his thesis of “volcanic transportation.”
While surely an innovative idea, Wolff ’s theory has holes the size of Wondiana.
Geologists have determined that the volcanoes were extinct for thousands of
years before the Polynesians arrived on Easter Island. The statue carvers
selected the part of the quarry at Rano Raraku with the best quality of volcanic
tuff; and, it has been extinct for hundreds of thousands of years. Thus, no
gases emanated from Rano Raraku at the time span of statue carving (probably
AD 600-1600). As for the statues being blown from the quarry to their
intended site, they would disintegrate upon impact as a result of “volcanic
transportation.”
Elephant Power
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An article appeared in the Denver Post (Colorado) a few years ago, detailing
an amazing theory about Easter Island. Titled “Unraveling one of Archaeology’s
Great Riddles” the article describes how one man solved the “puzzling riddle”
of the enormous stone statues on Easter Island. Elephants were the “key”.
The story included Kublai Khan’s armada sent to invade Japan. The armada’s
ships were scattered by typhoons, causing the loss of some 6,000 ships, several
of which had war elephants on board. Ships are sometimes pushed across the
Pacific to North or South America. Ergo: the elephants were landed in South
America and then the ships sailed westward to Easter Island, naturally bringing
along the elephants.
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Lemuria and Mu
The Lemuria and Mu contingent go hand in hand with the sunken
continent idea. Those who wish to believe in ancient supernatural
powers and a mystical race with special abilities and knowledge, lean
to Mu, Lemuria or Atlantis as the places from whence far-wiser
beings came. Various writers have ascribed different locations for
that region, diverse attributes, and special abilities of the peoples that
supposedly inhabited them.
Many proponents for the lost civilization of Lemuria focus on Easter
Island, but the details vary from time to time. The lost Lemurians,
according to one source, were groups of clairvoyant seers, oracles,
and holy people who interacted between other worlds. Today the
remains of this “lost paradise” include the Fiji Islands, Hawai‘i, Easter
Island, and “. . . some of the Los Angeles area—and that is why
many spiritual people who have a high consciousness are drawn
there.” [More likely, one might suggest that is why there is a large
percentage of nutcases in El Lay].
A display at the Englert Museum shows an example of a moai's eye socket with
inset white coral eye and red scoria pupil. The museum is near Tahai.
Central Energy Plant?
An author by the name of Tom Gary suggested that Easter Island was some
a kind of central energy plant from which energy was transmitted to Mexico
and South America. Gary suggests that rongorongo inscriptions were the
key to the Easter Island “mysteries”, and that a “diagram” on the backs of
some of the giant statues offers the key to unlocking their message. His
claim was that the diagrams would lead to a “copying machine” that would
copy in three dimensions. Gary’s theory involves some unspecified power
that he says emanates from the island, passes up through the statues, and
comes out of the statues’ eyes in the form of laser beams. It was those beams
that carved the rongorongo script. Gary found it very strange that neither
government officials nor scientists would come to look at his “evidence”,
and attributed this to ‘academic snootiness.’
[Note: The statues do not have diagrams on their backs. Some have designs,
but these reflect the aesthetics of the island’s art and are believed to represent
the sacred hami (loincloths) worn by chiefs. And just what one would to
copy in 3-D is not clear].
The Lemurians supposedly got together with the Atlantian refugees
and …“after 12,000 years of development, they now possess the
power to operate the atom-core alloy hull UFOs which exist and
enter undersea “gateways” via anti-gravity fields. Sunken pyramids
at the bottom of the seas also contribute to this effect”. The proponents
of Lemuria believe that there is “little doubt” that the mysterious
culture of Easter Island had an advanced form of air travel at its
disposal. [If the Easter Islanders had had air travel available in ancient
times, they would have left when things got tough.]
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Barry Fell’s Theories
Fell derives the Polynesian language [and the language of the Zuni
Indians!] from ancient Libyan with some Anatolian and Asian
elements thrown in for good measure. He claimed the Polynesians
were descended from Libyans who were in the service of Egypt,
working in Sumatra’s gold mines and “even Australia”. Fell’s books
sell incredibly well to the public in North America that is intent on
believing that an ancient “white” culture existed on this continent—
a racist theory. The major complaint regarding Fell is that evidence
that displeases him is ignored, and his linguistic “evidence” doesn’t
stand up to scrutiny. However, his books delight large numbers of
wishful thinkers.
Space Travelers
There is a class of books and articles that uses just enough fact and/or jargon to
sound OK to the uninformed reader. These are really spurious, for they entice the
non-specialist and general reader with reams of “facts” about various places or
theories. Without being aware of counter-arguments, or lacking information about
the areas in question, or knowing the authors’ agendas, it is easy to be seduced by
them.
Travelers from space comprise a large segment of “theories” about Easter
Island. One correspondent stated that the island was a “rest and recreation
station for space travelers, who would have been not less than six years nonstop in space.” And, he added that, “the famous person that they commemorate
would have been a space traveler who lost his eyesight when evading a “black
hole”. As for how they were carved, “…the basic removal of a block was
carried out with a blow torch or thermal lance, producing a total surface of
obsidian that all had to be chipped off.”
Our first example is taken from an editorial by F. Joseph in The Ancient American,
1996. The writer describes what he calls the “Marxist Scenario” for what happened
on Easter Island and then:
"As long ago as 1947, Thor Heyerdahl demonstrated an ancient and seminal Peruvian
connection to Rapa Nui by sailing his balsa replica of an Andean vessel from South
America to Easter Island. His achievement sent off a firestorm of official abuse that
continues to this day. Last summer’s discoveries …vindicated Dr Heyerdahl."
[Any traveler who tangled with a black hole would have far more problems than
losing eyesight. The statues were carved from volcanic tuff with basalt tools, the
marks of which are still clearly visible in the quarry. The tools used by the ancient
Rapanui can still be found lying around the quarry. Obsidian is not found as a
“surface on the statues”. Stone tools were used exclusively by the Easter Islanders,
who lacked any kind of metal.]
[Heyerdahl did not land on Easter Island, but drifted to the Tuamotus Islands, far
to the north. Nothing of South American manufacture has ever been found on
Easter Island: no pottery, no metal, no weaving, no fine pressure flaking. DNA
studies prove Easter Islanders are Polynesian].
Eric von Daniken and Extra-Terrestrials
F. Joseph goes on to say:
"Easter Island Civilization is far older than they always claimed. And its ancient links
to South America, which they dismissed as “unlikely,” are now beyond question.
To the up-holders of their out-dated dogma, we can only say, ‘We told you so.’ "
[This is the typical response and put-down to the scientific community: the “gotcha
mentality” of “we” vs. “them.” Note: The Ancient American carries such stories
as “Decoding the Sphinx,” “Rune Stones in the United States,” “Prehistoric Chicago”,
and “Bearded Foreigners in Mesoamerica.”]
Catastrophe Theories
This category leans toward things like “Tectonic Cleavage” and the
movement of landmasses, tidal waves, etc. Often this group relates also
to Biblical scriptures so we are advised of “counter rotation of the
sun…to fulfill God’s prophesy…” and one writer suggested that the
Hawaiians are Aztecs who were sent into the Pacific in “The Westward
Tectonic Tidal Wave”.
:
Ultra-diffusionist theories claim that most civilizations can be traced
to the genius of a few who spread enlightenment throughout the
world. These theories generally develop in total isolation from
legitimate scientific studies. Barry Fell and his supporters’ base much
of their ‘evidence’ on designs carved on rocks, claiming that these
represent various ancient alphabets and languages. A self-taught
epigrapher, Fell “translates” markings that geologists identify as
natural weathering, or rock carvings left by ancient Native Americans.
Serious archaeologists study the rock carvings as evidence of native
belief systems, but Fell and his cohorts “read” them, and ascribe
them to various wandering peoples from the European sphere: Celts,
Basques, Phoenicians, Libyans, Carthaginians, Arabs, Minoans and
Egyptians.
Baloney and Half-Truths
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Von Däniken has been the single most vexing source of misinformation
about Easter Island. He published a book in 1968 called Chariots of the
Gods? Unsolved Mysteries of the Past, and followed that blockbuster by
several others of the same ilk (“Over 3,000,000 copies in hard cover!!” “The
greatest archaeological sensation since the discovery of Troy!” “. . . a
provocative theory that will fascinate a vast and eager public.”) What this
printing history indicates is that people will believe/buy anything provided
it is sufficiently bizarre.
One of von Däniken’s favorite subjects is the Nazca Lines (obviously “landing
strips for the space visitors”). But his imagination has spread to virtually
every corner of the world. Von Däniken (1968:90) wrote much of his
material about Easter Island without ever visiting the island. Thus we are
treated to such statements as:
"Whole mountain massifs had been transformed, steel-hard volcanic rock
had been cut through like butter….No trees grow on the island, which is a
tiny speck of volcanic stone."
In his book, The Gold of the Gods, von Däniken wrote that the statues were
made from stone not found on the island, thus the stone must have been
brought in by those little guys from outer space. These erroneous statements
have been quoted and re-quoted endlessly by those who are not familiar
with Easter Island.
Rongorongo Tablets
Rongorongo tablets have been a fertile area for speculation, for one can
read nearly anything into the small engraved images on wooden tablets.
A goodly amount of literature has described them as being linked to
the un-deciphered script of the Indus Valley, Egyptian hieroglyphics,
ancient Sumerian, Chinese, and many others, despite the thousands of
years difference in time and huge distances apart. One creative writer
suggested they are a link to Stonehenge via those busy extra-terrestrials.
Gads, those guys really got around.
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[The volcanic tuff from which the statues were carved is porous and readily
cut with stone tools; it is not “steel-hard.” Trees DID grow on the island
and still do today. By historic times the large trees had been cut down, but
in prehistoric times the island had a forest. The island has good soil and is
not a ‘tiny speck of volcanic stone’. The statues were carved on the island
from volcanic tuff, basalt, trachyte, and scoria—all of which is present on
the island. The main statue quarry, Rano Raraku, still has several hundred
unfinished statues lying in the quarry.]
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So much rely on us...
Conclusion
Creators of nutty theories and bizarre scenarios and their ardent
followers are not likely to be converted by reason. Their minds are
made up, don’t bother them with the facts and, besides, their books
sell very well. The general mind-set for authors of the fantastic genre
is against the scholarly and the professional. These writers stress (and
quote liberally) from sources dating from the 19th century when the
science of archaeology was in its infancy. Before the Pacific sea floor
was mapped, many persons thought a continent might have been
there. But now we know it was not so. To quote from someone who
was writing in that earlier time period and trying to pass it off as ‘truth’
or ‘fact’ is deceptive. Using outdated sources is a typical practice, in
a sort of “let the reader beware” attitude, and popular writers consistently
over-stress the similarities and assumed similarities between early
civilizations of the two hemispheres:
Who are these folks who foist crazy theories upon the public? Wauchope
(1962: 125) states that crank pseudo-scientists hold certain traits in
common:
The island's Mataveri Airport has a huge carved lizard gracing the
departure area.
". . . the crank works in almost total isolation from his fellows, and. .
. has a tendency toward paranoia likely to be exhibited in five ways:
he considers himself a genius; he regards his colleagues as ignorant
blockheads; he believes himself unjustly persecuted and discriminated
against; and he writes in a complex jargon."
The consequence is that a huge number of books are of little scientific
value, and what sells is far-out fiction or fictionalized accounts of
ancient cultures that stress the “mysteries” of the place.
While sensational books remain popular, in recent years the shift has
been to television shows or series that stress the ‘mysteries’ of various
places around the globe, speculating and insinuating about esoteric
and wonderful things that ancient peoples may have done, and how
they knew “secrets” that have been “lost” over the centuries.
There is little doubt that the TV media manipulates its viewers,
particularly the young who tend to believe what they see (or think
they see). These programs are popular, narrated by movie stars with
deep melodic voices, and the public responds to them. One can only
cite the prevalence of TV science fiction programs that seem to get
more fantastic every season, or the members of the recent “Heaven’s
Gate” suicide cult in California that thought they were to be carried
off by a space ship.
The seven statues of Ahu Akivi were restored by Mulloy and G.
Figueroa. The ahu has been dated to AD 1460. It is situated inland,
north of the village.
A lot of people believe that flying saucers have landed, and that there
are intelligent beings “out there”. While there may indeed be intelligent
life elsewhere in the universe, the real story of what happened here on
earth in the past is far more fascinating. Archaeology is an exciting
subject. What is more absorbing than discovering and understanding
how people lived thousands of years ago, how they faced similar
problems of shelter and survival, and struggled to understand their
universe? We have a depth of history, and an amazing cultural heritage.
Our ancestors built shrines, shelters, made pottery and wove fabrics,
created tools, and objects of metal. They built communities and families,
created writing systems, carved statuary, and buried their dead with
offerings for their gods. Their story is our story, on another level of
development. To represent that past falsely—and for money and
notoriety—is reprehensible.
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And there is another thing. To suggest or intimate that the ancient
Easter Islanders did not carve their statues and build their shrines is
to deny them their past. Easter Island has a rich history, coming out
of the Polynesian tradition, which in turn derives from Southeast Asia.
They created a remarkable civilization, out there, isolated in the vast
South Pacific Ocean. Let’s give them a little credit!
...and we simply do IT.
A small park is located at the corner of Atamu Tekena and Te Pito
te Henua streets. The statues represent an early king, Atamu Tekena,
and the man who was instrumental in the annexation of the island
to Chile in 1888, Policarpo Toro.
Information Technologies
DIAL FREE 800 430 4010
(Wondiana only)
www.iosys.com.fw
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The Consumer
Recycling Guide
This guide attempts to cover everything an informed consumer should know about commonly recycled
materials, in plain no-nonsense terms. Special attention is given to materials that are poorly understood
or hard to recycle, like motor oil and rechargeable batteries.
COMMONLY RECYCLED MATERIALS
PLASTICS
ith a little bit of care much plastic can be recycled, and collection of
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m a g a z i n e
huge problem: plastic types must not be mixed for recycling, yet it is impossible
to tell one type from another by sight or touch. Even a small amount of the
wrong type of plastic can ruin the melt. The plastic industry has responded
to this problem by developing a series of cryptic
markers (see table on the following page),
commonly seen on the bottom of plastic
containers. These markers do not mean the
plastic can be recycled, these makers do not
mean the container uses recycled plastic. Despite
the confusing use of the chasing arrow symbol,
these markers only identify the plastic type.
Virtually everything made of plastic should be
marked with a code. Not all types can actually
be recycled. Types 1 and 2 are widely accepted
in container form, and type 4 is sometimes
accepted in bag form. Code 7 is for mixed or layered plastic with
virtually no recycling potential. You should place in your bin only
those types of plastic listed by your local recycling agency! Due to
fluxuating market conditions, some colors or shapes may be useless
to the recycling agency.
Plastic Containers (milk, soap,
juice, water, etc.)
All plastic containers you purchase should be
marked with a large and clear recycling code.
This code must be molded into the plastic and
located on the bottom surface of the container.
Ideally the entire container should be made
of the same plastic to avoid confusion, but
often the caps are of a different type. Caps
should be separately marked. Note that most
caps are NOT of the same type as the bottle
they sit on.
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W plastics for recycling is increasing rapidly. Plastic recycling faces one
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GLASS, STEEL, ALUMINUM CANS AND FOIL
Grocery sacks, produce bags, and
other packaging
ith a little bit of care much plastic can be recycled, and collection of plastics for
recycling is increasing rapidly. Plastic recycling faces one huge problem: plastic types
must not be mixed for recycling, yet it is impossible to tell one type from another
by sight or touch. Even a small amount of the wrong type of plastic can ruin the
melt. The plastic industry has responded to this problem by developing a series of
cryptic markers (see table on the following page), commonly seen on the bottom
of plastic containers. These markers do not mean the plastic can be recycled,
these makers do not mean the container uses recycled plastic. Despite the confusing
use of the chasing arrow symbol, these markers only identify the plastic type.
Plastic grocery and produce sacks are commonly, but not always,
made from plastic types 2 or 4. These bags are often collected
in barrels at grocery stores, and usually end up as plastic lumber.
Collection is not particularly profitable.
Other Plastic Items
Any product made of a single plastic type should be marked -after all the product may one day break or be replaced. This
includes toys, plastic hangars, trash cans, shelves, baskets, rain
ponchos, and many other products. Many products, such as
compact discs, video tapes, and computer discs, are made from
mixed materials which can't be recycled unless first disassembled.
Virtually everything made of plastic should be marked with a code. Not all types
can actually be recycled. Types 1 and 2 are widely accepted in container form, and
type 4 is sometimes
OLD REFRIGERATORS, HEAT PUMPS & AIR CONDITIONERS
Most older refrigeration equipment contains freon, a chemical know as a Chlorinated Fluorocarbon or "CFC" for short. Each molecule
of a CFC can destroy over 100,000 molecules of the earth's protective ozone coating, leading to increased risk of sunburn, cataracts
and skin cancer for the entire population of the planet (human AND animal).
CFC-12
If you are throwing away an old refrigerator, heat pump or air conditioner please be sure the CFC's are drained out and recycled first.
Use only a hauler who will perform this important service -- call and ask before you let them take your old equipment away. Before
having your car's air conditioner serviced, ask what the shop does with the freon. Never allow a leaking refrigeration system to be
recharged.
A number of international treaties, federal and state laws govern the use of CFC's. Handlers of refrigeration equipment can get information
on laws and recycling equipment from the Wondian Refrigeration Institute
ASEPTIC PACKAGING (DRINK BOXES,
SOY-MILK CONTAINERS)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
PETE
HDPE
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PP
PS
OTHER
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* Type 1 - PETE Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
Soda & water containers, some waterproof packaging.
* Type 2 - HDPE High-Density Polyethylene
Milk, detergent & oil bottles. Toys and plastic bags.
* Type 3 - V Vinyl/Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
Food wrap, vegetable oil bottles, blister packages.
* Type 4 - LDPE Low-Density Polyethylene
Many plastic bags. Shrink wrap, garment bags.
* Type 5 - PP Polypropylene
Refrigerated containers, some bags, most bottle tops,
some carpets, some food wrap.
* Type 6 - PS Polystyrene
Throwaway utensils, meat packing, protective packing.
* Type 7 - OTHER Usually layered or mixed plastic.
No recycling potential - must be landfilled.
The plastic types were defined by the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI):
Types 1 and 2 are commonly recycled. Type 4 is less commonly recycled. The other
types are generally not recycled, except perhaps in small test programs. Common plastics
polycarbonate (PC) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) do not have recycling
numbers.
The code must be molded into the plastic item. The symbol should be easily visible for
sorting purposes. The best symbols are large with a different surface finish than the
surrounding plastic. If the container has a matte surface (rough), then the symbol should
be smooth, a smooth container should have a rough recycling symbol.
Understand that plastic recycling is really in infancy. The process is messy and inefficient.
Numerous problems exist. For example plastic from a "blow mold" (the neck of the bottle
is narrower than the body) has a slightly different structure from the exact same plastic
used in an "injection mold" (where the opening is the widest part of the product). Because
of low processing temperatures plastic is highly vulnerable to contamination by food,
labels and different plastics.
Much recycled plastic ends up as low grade plastic lumber.
The square boxes used for liquids are called "Aseptics", the most common brand of
which is "Tetra Pak". Aseptics are made from complex layers of plastic, metal and
paper. The aseptic industry has spent millions in public education on the issue of
aseptic recycling, including distribution of classroom guides and posters like "Drink
Boxes are as Good on the Outside as They are on the Inside" and "A Day in the Life
of a Drink Box". The actual recycling process, unfortunately, is very expensive and
awkward, and is therefore only available in a very few places. Because of the difficulties,
only an insignificant fraction of aseptic packages are currently recycled.
COMPOST
It may seem strange to see the word compost on a recycling page, but compost is just
recycled plant matter. Food and yard scraps placed in a special bin are converted into
valuable garden soil in a matter of weeks. Compost bins are available at garden stores
& nurseries. Composting can easily reduce by half the volume of material a household
sends to a landfill. If you don't care about accelerating the processing, just keep adding
material at the top. Just try to keep a balance of dry "brown" materials and fresh
"green" material. For more technical information, try visiting the On-line Composting
Centers.
Lots of things you'd otherwise throw away can be composted, including wine bottle
corks, cooking oils, certain types of foam packing peanuts, used paper towels, dryer
lint, etc. If it is natural, you can probably compost it without trouble!
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Cryptic Markers
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RECHARGEABLE
BATTERIES (OTHER
THAN CAR
BATTERIES)
Rechargable batteries are commonly used
in portable telephones, computers, power
tools, shavers, electric toothbrushes, radios,
video tape recorders and other consumer
products. There are a variety of different
battery types, some of which contain quite
toxic materials.
The Rechargeable Battery Recycling is an
industry funded group promoting battery
recycling. Manufacturers pay a fee to use
the logo shown to the right, and to support
the costs of the eventual collection of the
batteries they sell. Look for (and even insist
on seeing) the RBRC logo on rechargable
batteries you buy.
Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd), Nickel Metal
Hydride (Ni-MH), Lithium Ion (Li-ion),
and Small Sealed Lead (Pb) batteries can
all be recycled. Several states now prohibit
consumers from dumping rechargable
batteries into the normal trash. NickelCadmium rechargeable batteries ("NiCads")
contain cadmium, a metal that causes blood
and reproductive damage, among other problems. Most of the Cadmium
in our waste stream comes from batteries. These batteries pose little hazard
in use (the Cadmium is in a stable form), but are a danger in landfills.
Worn-out batteries are often easily replaced. While many batteries are
custom shapes (just you so have to buy a special battery) the chemistry
inside is identical. A clever repairperson can replace just about any
rechargeable battery.
MOTOR OIL,
TIRES AND
CAR BATTERIES
All three of these products are big
environmental problems, but all three are
easily recycled.
Used motor oil contains heavy metals and
other toxic substances, and is considered
hazardous waste. Each year do-it-yourself
oil changers improperly dump more oil
than the tanker Exxon Valdez spilled into
Alaska's Prince William Sound. One quart
of oil can kill fish in thousands of gallons
of water. Motor oil containers should
mention the danger of used oil to humans
and the environment.
Motor oil must never be dumped in storm
drains; storm drains flow *untreated* into
rivers, lakes or oceans. Your quart of oil *does* make a difference - don't
dump it.
Recycling used motor oil is easy. Typically you used oil into a plastic milk
jug and clearly mark it "used motor oil". The following should help you
find a location to take the oil. Please drop off oil during regular business
hours only:
Call your local garbage, recycling or toxics agency for a referral.
(Throughout Wondiana - Call 0-800-RECYCLE). Wondiana have a law
requiring any business that sells oil to take used oil back from consumers.
Antifreeze contaminates motor oil - do not mix the two. If your car has
blown a gasket and you are draining the oil, mark it clearly as potentially
contaminated and treat it as non-recyclable household waste (see below).
Never mix anything with used motor oil. Never place
used oil in a container that has contained other chemicals.
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34
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Improperly disposed tires tend to rise to the top of
landfills, breed mosquitoes, transit disease when traded
globally, and burn when stacked in large pilese.
Your old car battery might be worth money. Even if
not, any car parts shop will take it.
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COMPUTER PRINTERS
Most printer cartridges are easily recycled, refilled or re-built. But printer
vendors sell the printer cheap, and make their real money selling supplies.
They don't want you be environmental.
The "right" environmental solution is to sell new cartridges with a postage
paid mailer for returning the old one. Some forward-thinking companies,
have been known to do this, especially for laser printers. Sometimes you
can find free envelopes for donating cartridges to a refiller, but don't
bother with refill kits. They may save money, but they are messy, and
you use as much plastic as a new cartridge.
To make a difference, buy recycled paper for your printer (because of
the fine grain, it can look better than regular sliced trees). Grab piles of
"blank on one side" paper from work, and use the other side. And always
buy recycled. See The Yahoo! Recycled Printer Supplies Listing.
Encourge your company to buy a printer with duplexing (two sided
printing), and to hire a company to take away waste paper regularly.
PAPER
Most types of paper can be recycled. Newspapers have been recycled profitably for
decades, and recycling of other paper is growing. Virgin paper pulp prices have soared
in recent years prompting construction of more plants capable of using waste paper.
They key to recycling is collecting large quantities of clean, well-sorted, uncontaminated
and dry paper.
It is important to know what you are buying in a paper product, for that reason
virtually all paper products should be marked with the percentage and type of recycled
content, as above. Just saying "recycled paper" is not enough. "Recycled paper" could
mean anything from 100% true recycled paper to 1% re-manufactured ends of large
paper rolls. "Post-consumer" means the paper that you and I return to recycling centers.
From a recycling point of view, the more "post-consumer" paper the better. Soybeanbased inks are gaining favor as a renewable alternative to harsh and toxic petrochemical
inks.
White Office Paper
One of the highest grades of paper is white office paper. Acceptable are clean white
sheets from the likes of laser printers and copy machines. Colored, contaminated, or
lower grade paper is not acceptable. The wrappers the paper comes in are of lower
grade, and not acceptable. Staples are ok. White office paper may be downgraded,
and recycled with mixed paper.
Corrugated Cardboard
HOUSEHOLD TOXICS
Individuals tend to be very sloppy when it comes to handling toxic
materials in the home. Individuals often handle toxic chemicals in ways
businesses would be fined for. The heaviest application of agricultural
chemicals in the USA comes not from agribusiness, but rather from
home gardeners. Indoor air pollution from household products is often
found to exceed allowable federal outdoor quality rules.
Items such as poisons, paints, oil, solvents, automotive fluids, cleaners,
herbicides and many others must not be dumped into the regular garbage.
Water seeps through landfills and toxics end up in the water table. In
areas that burn garbage, your toxics may end up in the air you breathe.
The best thing to do is use what you buy, buy only what you need.
If you have accumulated toxics, check with your garbage company or
local recycling agency -- almost all areas have household toxics drop-off
days or locations.
Chemicals must must never be dumped in storm drains; such drains
typically flow *untreated* into rivers, lakes or oceans.
In areas that don't take cardboard from consumers, one can often drop boxes off at a
supermarket or other high volume business. Contaminated cardboard, like greasy pizza
boxes, is not acceptable. In some areas cardboard must be free of tape, but staples are
always OK.
Newspapers
Newspaper is widely available and of uniform consistency, which makes it valuable.
The entire newspaper including inserts acceptable, except for things like plastic, product
samples and rubber bands. Newspapers may be stuffed in large brown grocery sacks,
or tied with natural-fiber twine. Other brown paper bags may be mixed with newspaper.
Phone Books
Some phone books are made with a special glue that breaks down in water, while
other phone books use a glue that interferes with recycling. Printed in your phone
book should be information on the source and type of paper used, the nature of the
binding, and where locally phone books can be recycled. Note that many phone
companies continue to use virgin rain forest to produce directories. In many communities
phone books are only accepted during the time new directories are distributed.
Waxed cartons (Milk, juice)
Milk cartons are plastic laminated inside, even if they don't have a plastic spout.
Mixed paper
Mixed paper is a catch-all for types of paper not specifically mentioned above. Everything
you can imagine from magazines to packaging is acceptable. The paper must still be
clean, dry, and free of food, most plastic, wax, and other contamination. Staples are
OK.
Remove plastic wrap, stickers, product samples, and those pointless "membership"
cards, and most junk mail can be recycled as mixed paper. Due to new technology,
plastic window envelopes and staples are generally ok.
Paper that cannot be recycled
Paper that cannot be recycled as normal "mixed paper" includes: food contaminated
paper, waxed paper, waxed cardboard milk & juice containers, oil soaked paper, carbon
paper, sanitary products or tissues, thermal fax paper, stickers and plastic laminated
paper such as fast food wrappers, juice boxes, and pet food bags.
SOURCE: Copyright 1996-2003 Obviously Enterprises
VARIO /02
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Paper with any sort of contamination or plastic layers can't be recycled. Plastic laminated
paper is bad for recycling plants; such paper should be clearly marked.
37
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The Final Moment
A Complete Guide to
The Olympic Sports
T
PART ONE
he current Olympic Games programme includes 35 sports and nearly
400 events.
Summer Sports: Aquatics, archery, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball,
boxing, canoe / kayak, cycling, equestrian, fencing, football, gymnastics,
handball, hockey, judo, modern pentathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, softball,
table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, volleyball, weightlifting and wrestling.
Winter Sports: Biathlon, bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, luge, skating, skiing.
In this guide you will find brief notes on these 35 sports in two parts.
The Final Gear
Apart from these, air sports, netball, automobile, orienteering, bandy, pelote
basque, billiard sports, polo, boules, powerboating, bowling, racquetball,
bridge, roller sports, chess, rugby, dancesport, squash, golf, surfing, karate,
sumo, korfball, tug of war, life saving, underwater sports, motorcycle racing,
water skiing, wushu, mountaineering and climbing are regocnized by thez
International Olympic Committee
Olympic Sports of the Past
These sports are no longer practiced at the Olympic Games.
Tug-of-war: It was on the Olympic programme in 1900, 1904, 1906
(Intercalated Games), 1908, 1912 and 1920. Tug-of-war was always contested
as a part of the track and field athletics programme, although it is now
considered a separate sport.
Golf: It has been on the Olympic programme twice, in 1900 and 1904. There
were two golf events in 1900 - one for gentlemen and one for ladies. Golf is
one of the world's most popular sports, being played in well over 100 nations
world-wide. Golf also has a long history, as it origins can be traced back several
centuries, and it has had organised international competitions since the mid19th century. In the last decade golf has made entreaties to be returned to the
Olympic programme.
Rugby: Rugby football is one of the earliest forms of football in which the ball
is carried rather than kicked. It developed in Great Britain in the mid-19th
century. Originally, rugby league was considered the professional sport and
rugby union the amateur one, but in 1995 the International Rugby Board made
rugby union an open sport, allowing professional competition. Rugby union
football was held at the Olympics in 1900, 1908, 1920 and 1924.
Polo: It is considered the oldest mounted team sport, with a history reaching
back centuries, when it was played in the plains of Asia, ancient Persia, China
and India. Polo was on the Olympic programme in 1900, 1908, 1920, 1924
and 1936.
Lacrosse: It was contested as a full medal sport at the 1904 and 1908 Olympics
and was also a demonstration sport at the Olympics in 1928, 1932 and 1948.
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The Final Hit
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Aquatics
Olympic sport since 1896
This sport includes several Olympic disciplines
such as diving, swimming, synchronized
Swimming and water polo. The founding of the
Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) in
1908 was a pragmatic response to an increase
in international sporting events, crowned by the
Olympic Games. At the first modern Olympics
in 1896, three swimming contests were held.
However, no universally accepted rules,
regulations or definitions governed the swimming
events.
Archery
Olympic sport since 1900
Boxing
Olympic sport since 1904
When it first arrived in the Ancient Olympic
Games, the tools of the trade were long strips of
leather wrapped around boxers' fists. The fight
continued until one man or the other went down
or conceded. The Romans followed with a
gladiator dimension. They used gloves studded
with spikes or weighted with lead, and fights
often ended in death, like other entertainment of
the day.
Canoe/Kayak
Olympic sport since 1936
The history of the canoe and kayak has been
traced back thousands of years to when natives
used these craft to hunt, fish and travel. Canoes
were used mainly by the native North and South
American Indians along with the Polynesian
islanders of the Pacific. They were propelled
through the water by single-bladed paddles
usually made from wood.
Anyone familiar with the legend of Robin Hood
knows archery competitions date back at least
to mediaeval times. Indeed, today's archers still
honour the fabled outlaw. The term "Robin Hood"
now refers to splitting the shaft of an arrow
already in the target with another arrow.
RTS
Fencing
Handball
Olympic sport since 1896
Olympic sport since 1936
Take the romantic, swashbuckling epics of Errol
Flynn, add some rules, protective clothing and
an electronic scoring system, and you have
fencing at the Olympic Games. Two rivals stand
opposite each other and feint, lunge, parry and
riposte until one scores the required number of
hits to win.
The modern game of handball was first played
towards the end of the 19th century in Denmark,
Germany and Sweden. Recognition of field
handball based on the games of "Raffball" (snatch
ball) and "Königsbergerball" (Konrad Koch, 18461911) occurred at the turn of the century. G.
Wallström introduced Sweden to the sport of
"handball" in 1910.
Equestrian
Olympic sport since 1900
Football
In the past, the three-day event (Eventing) was
restricted to military officers, while the jumping
and dressage competitions were open to civilians,
but only a handful of civilian riders competed up
to 1948. Up to that time, the growth of modern
sport had been rapid, but relatively few
competitors were involved in international
competitions.
While the modern game of football started with
the foundation of the Football Association of
England in 1863, its roots extend to opposite
ends of the earth. The ancient Chinese, Greeks
and Romans played a similar game, long before
English kings in the 1300s and 1400s were trying
to outlaw the violent sport.
Olympic sport since 1900
Badminton
Cycling
Gymnastics
Made-for-television radar guns instantly flash the
speed of serves, volleys and pitches to the
sporting public around the world these days, but
few viewers could name the world's fastest racket
sport. The title belongs to badminton.
Bicycles were first developed in the mid-18th
century and have long since been used as a form
of transport. Originally, the front wheel was much
larger than the rear wheel, and the rider was
elevated a great deal, making them difficult to
control and very dangerous. In 1885, J.K. Starley
of England devised the more modern bike with
a chain and gearing to allow the wheels to be of
equal size. Although bicycle races had been held
on the old "penny farthings", the new bikes
stimulated the growth of bicycle racing as a
sport.
Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique or FIG,
as it is known today was formed in 1897. FIG
comprises three Olympic disciplines: artistic,
rhythmic and trampoline. Each discipline is
controlled by a Technical Committee made up
of a Technical President and six members.The
Technical Committees are responsible for the
coordination and control of their specific discipline
in terms of the technical requirements for
competition as they relate to each specific
discipline.
Olympic sport since 1992
Baseball
Olympic sport since 1992
Baseball's stature in the history of the United
States is perhaps reflected more clearly in a
simple dictionary rather than in the sevencentimetre-thick baseball encyclopaedia.
Olympic sport since 1896
Olympic sport since 1896
Athletics
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Olympic sport since 1936
For 36 years after basketball entered the Olympic
Games as a full medal sport for men, the question
was not who would win, but who would finish
second. The United States owned the game, and
not just because it was invented there.
Athletics is, in many ways, the embodiment of the Olympic motto, "Citius, Altius, Fortius", meaning faster, higher, stronger. Athletics
(or track and field) is about running faster, jumping higher and throwing further than your competitors. The ancient Games at
Olympia began simply with foot races, only occasionally complicated by dressing the runners in infantry armour or making them
carry soldiers' shields. Today, athletics remains one of the most popular Olympic sports. From the 100m dash to the 42.195km
marathon, from the hammer throw to the high jump, it contains many of the Olympic Games' blue-ribbon events and many of
the highest-profile competitors.
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Basketball
Olympic sport since 1896
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Table Tennis
Gossima. Whiff-Whaff. Flim-Flam. Ping-Pong.
Whatever name it assumes, table tennis has
come a long way since its introduction as a
genteel, after-dinner alternative to lawn tennis in
1890s England. Today, players compete for big
money, wield high-tech rackets and volley the
ball at speeds up to 160 kilometres per hour.
Olympic sport since 1908
Hockey is the oldest known ball and stick game.
Records exist of it having been played in Persia
in 2000 BC. In medieval Europe, pictures of men
playing a game with hooked sticks appear on
stained-glass windows at both the Canterbury
and Gloucester cathedrals. It became so popular
by the Middle Ages that it was banned in England
for a time because it interfered with the practice
of archery, which was the basis for national
defense. The name hockey probably derives from
the French hocquet, or shepherd's crook, and
refers to the crooked stick.
Judo
Olympic sport since 1964
Judo means "the gentle way" in Japanese. Of
course, it is derived in part from jujitsu, the handto-hand combat technique of ancient samurai
warriors, and everything is relative. While throwing
opponents to the floor wins most matches, it is
the only Olympic sport where submission holds
allow choking an opponent or breaking an arm.
Modern Pentathlon
Olympic sport since 1912
A young French cavalry officer of the 19th century
was sent on horseback to deliver a message. He
rode across the uneven terrain, through enemy
lines, and was confronted by a soldier with his
sword drawn. Challenged to a duel, the officer
won, only to have his horse shot out from under
him by another enemy soldier. After felling that
soldier with a single shot, the officer ran on. He
swam across a raging river, and then finally he
delivered the message. So, legend has it, was
born the modern pentathlon.
Softball
Olympic sport since 1996
There is little soft about Olympic softball. In
addition, a softball is as hard as a baseball. The
only difference being the size; a softball is 30.4
cm in circumference and a baseball is 22.8 cm.
Shooting
Olympic sport since 1896
It is a sport where the bullseye looks about the
size of the full stop at the end of this sentence,
a sport where shooters compete amid a
cacophony of noise and still concentrate on firing
between heartbeats.
Sailing
Olympic sport since 1900
Sailing first became an Olympic sport in Paris in
1900, where time handicaps were used to
adjudicate the race. The race format and the
classes of competing boats have changed
frequently since then. Olympic racing is now
conducted with boats categorised into one-design
classes based on similar weights and
measurements.
Rowing
Olympic sport since 1896
Tactically, it sounds as ludicrous as sprinting the
first five kilometres of a marathon. To win a 2000metre rowing race, the crew must sprint for the
first 500 metres. Such are the demands in the
sport of the Athlete of the Century and the
Oarsome Foursome.
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Olympic sport since 1988
Hockey
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Tennis
Olympic sport since 1896
Times have changed dramatically for Olympic
tennis since then. Today's Olympic tennis players
include some of the highest-profile athletes in
the world. Accustomed to five-star hotels and
high-stakes prize money, at the Olympic Games
they will bunk in the Olympic Village and compete
for nothing but a gold medal.
Triathlon
Olympic sport since 2000
Dating back to 1978, the triathlon is the newest
sport. The ultimate endurance test, it requires
athletes to excel at three very different pursuits
- swimming, cycling and running. The sport
demands particularly intense discipline because
each area requires a high-level training schedule.
Volleyball
Olympic sport since 1964
Volleyball, like basketball, is a sport whose origin
is known almost to the day. Oddly enough, both
sports were invented at the same college and
within a few years of one another. Volleyball was
invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan, a student
at Springfield College and a director of the YMCA
at Holyoke, Massachusetts. The game was
originally called "Mintonette".
Taekwondo
Olympic sport since 2000
Various Korean forms of martial arts have existed
but in the early 20th century, taekwondo became
the dominant form. In 1955 a group of Korean
martial arts leaders chose taekwondo as the
definitive Korean martial art in an attempt to
promote its development internationally.
Weightlifting
Olympic sport since 1896
An ancient sport as old as mankind, embodying
the most direct manifestation of human strength,
weightlifting has not only flourished, but developed
into a modern sporting discipline for the 21st
century. The apparent simplicity of lifting the
barbell from the ground and over the head in one
or two movements is deceiving. Weightlifting
requires a combination of power, speed,
technique, concentration and timing.
Wrestling
Olympic sport since 1896
If the Olympic Games are a history of mankind,
wrestling is the prologue. When the ancient
Games of the Olympiad were born, wrestling
already was an ancient game. Widely recognised
as the world's oldest competitive sport, wrestling
appeared in a series of Egyptian wall paintings
as many as 5000 years ago. When the Games
began in 776 BC, more than two millenniums
later, it included wrestling, and, in the years that
followed, wrestling featured as the main event.
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Drawing Tolkien’s Mind...
Eugenia Weinstein
Fly by Rail...
Now, with the cour tesy of FRIWO, you can check in
at any destination in Wondiana. Even a smallest village!
www.airwondiana.com
Eowyn, the Lady of Rohan, faces the Witch King
in the decisive battle of the Pelennor fields.
Book 5 :: Chapter 6 :: The Battle of the Pelennor Fields
VARIO /02
anywhere in the world, and get your luggage
45
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Nuovo
Cinema
Paradiso
Nuovo Cinema
Paradiso [1988 ITALY/FRANCE, 170 min.]
Cast:
Philippe Noiret
Salvatore Cascio
Marco Leonardi
Jacques Perrin
Antonella Attili
Pupella Maggio
Agnese Nano
Brigitte Fossey
Enzo Cannavale
Isa Danieli
Leo Gullotta
Leopoldo Trieste
Tano Cimarosa
Nicola di Pinto
Roberta Lena
Nino Terzo
Giorgio Libassi
Ignazio Pappalardo
Beatrice Palme
PLOT SYNOPSIS
AUDIO
Cinema Paradiso offers a nostalgic look at films and
the affect they have on a young boy who grows up
in and around the title village movie theater in this
Italian comedy drama that is based on the life and
times of screenwriter/director Giuseppe Tornatore.
The story begins in the present as a Sicilian mother
pines for her estranged son, who left many years ago
and has since become a prominent Roman film
director who has taken the advice of his mentor too
literally. He finally returns to his home village to
attend the funeral of the town's former film
projectionist and, in so doing, embarks upon a journey
into his boyhood just after WW II when he became
the unofficial son of the town projectionist. In the
dark confines of the Cinema Paradiso, the boy and
the other townsfolk try to escape from the grim
realities of post-war Italy. The town censor is also
there to insure nothing untoward appears onscreen,
invariably demanding that all kissing scenes be edited out. One day, Salvatore saves the projectionist's
life after a fire, and then befriends the new projectionist. A few years later, Salvatore falls in love with
a beautiful girl who breaks his heart after he is inducted into the military. Thirty years later, Salvatore
has come to say good-bye to his life-long friend, who has left him a little gift in a film can. In 2002,
over a decade after the film's original release, Tornatore brought the original 170-minute director's
cut to Wondian screens for the first time.
Bernd Vitzberg
Sydlanch Symphony Orchestra
Symphonie Fantastique
Under the influence of opium (in the 1855 version), a young and sensitive artist (Berlioz
himself), experiences a series of visions – the different movements of the symphony – in which
his beloved figures as a theme, the idée fixe, which recurs in every movement, though each
time in a different form. The theme had already been used by Berlioz in his cantata Herminie
written for the Prix de Rome of 1828, though it is much more fully developed in the symphony
than in the cantata.
HECTOR BERLIOZ
Rêveries, passions
Un Bal
Scène aux champs
Marche au supplice
Songe d'une Nuit du Sabbat
[13:32]
[5:57]
[14:33]
[7:06]
[10:51]
This version of Symphony Fantastique is brought to you by Mireille Music. A great performance
by Wondian conductor Bernd Vitzberg with Sydlanch Symphony Orchestra.
Total Playing Time 51:59
BOOK
Richard Gilliam/Emilio Giovanni
Dictionary of Word Origins
by John Ayto
Pacific
1548, "tending to make peace," from M.Fr. pacifique, from L. pacificus "peaceful, peace-making," from pax (gen. pacis) "peace" + root of
facere "to make". Meaning "peaceful, calm" is first recorded 1633. The Pacific Ocean (1660) is from M.L. Pacificum, neut. of L. pacificus, so
called c.1500 by Magellan when he sailed into it and found it calmer than the stormy Atlantic.
paul auster
Dagny Scott
It may seem odd for an author of literary fiction to write
a book told from the perspective of a dog, and it seems
natural for readers to be suspicious of the idea.
Anthropomorphized animals? How Disney, we think.
But in this case, we'd be wrong. There's nothing Disney
about Timbuktu. Not that Auster is the first to use animals
to tell a serious story. Art Spiegelman broke ground with
Maus years ago by telling the story of a Holocaust survivor
through the medium of the graphic novel and portraying
all the characters as animals: the Jews as mice, the Nazis as
cats, and the Poles as pigs.
I am reminded of something Ha Jin says in The Crazed, "I
realized how people had humanized animals and animalized
human beings". Comparing Timbuktu with Maus, this
makes perfect sense. Who would you rather identify with:
Mr. Bones the loyal dog, or the Nazis who hauled off human
beings like cattle? The back cover of Timbuktu sums up this
issue in a review by Salman Rushdie:
In a world in which many people get treated like dogs, Paul
Auster has elected to tell us the story of a dog's life, and by the
end of this brief, extraordinary book he has made us think, feel
and even dream along with his canine Mr. Bones. By stepping
outside the frame of our species, Auster allows us to see ourselves
timbuktu
afresh, through the eyes of the loving, half-comprehending,
half-mystified aliens who live within our homes.
Those familiar with other novels by Auster will find
some similarity with earlier works. Names in Timbuktu
serve similarly indeterminate purposes as in New York
Trilogy, with both of the main characters changing their
names in the course of the novel. Willy Gurevitch's
transformation to Willy Christmas is a choice, but Mr.
Bones has new names pushed on him against his will:
for Henry, he's Cal; for the Joneses, he's Sparky, but in
his heart he always seems to hold on to his first name,
given to him by Willy. Similarly, the dog kennel is
owned by the married couple of Pat and Pat. Perhaps
it would be best, as Mr. Bones suggests, to break down
names to their basic forms: to their music.
Paul Auster's Timbuktu is a unique book, a novel that
takes a lot of risks and comes off as natural and effortless.
Fans of Auster's previous work should definitely read
it, and anyone willing to investigate a new perspective
should consider it. As a new perspective on everyday
life, it is superb. As an attempt to describe American
life, it is an astounding success. Timbuktu is yet another
vindication of Auster's rightful place as one of the great
authors of contemporary American literary fiction.
lighthouse
SYDL ANCH - WINDS OR - CIR ANO - FRONTENAC
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Timbuktu
Nuovo Cinema Paradiso evokes the magic of motion pictures, in a style both nostalgic and poetic. It takes place in a small Italian town in the years before
television, where motion pictures were a social event, and the people who gathered for them knew each other by name. The ambiance is largely autobiographical,
drawn from the memories of writer/director Giuseppe Tornatore, who shows great affection for his characters, even when they suffer misfortune or unhappiness.
The story's well-designed framework allows for smooth transitions between past and present. Among the film's indelible images, perhaps the most memorable
occurs when a film is projected on a town wall, creating an endearing contrast between differing realities. Its original soundtrack, by Ennio and Andrea
Morricone, is one of the greatest tastes ever made for a movie.
VARIO /02
The Symphonie Fantastique has always been the work with which Berlioz’s name is most
closely associated. The composition of this revolutionary masterpiece marked a breakthrough
in the composer’s career, at once the culmination of his years of apprenticeship, and the
starting point of his mature work as a symphonic composer. The impact that Beethoven had
on Berlioz is evident in the work, but no less evident is Berlioz’s originality in opening up
new paths that Beethoven had not explored, and the sound world of Berlioz is entirely his
own.
CONDUCTED BY
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Michel Austin
The Symphonie Fantastique was initially composed in 1830 and first performed in December
of the same year under the direction of Habeneck. Berlioz however revised the work extensively
in subsequent years and did not publish it until 1845. The work as we now know it is thus
substantially different from the original of 1830, which can no longer be reconstructed in full
detail.
HECTOR BERLIOZ
SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE
PAUL AUSTER
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Symphonie Fantastique
Hector Berlioz
Sandra Brennan
Giuseppe Tornatore - Director / Screenwriter
Franco Cristaldi - Producer
Blasco Giurato - Cinematographer
Andrea Morricone - Composer (Music Score)
Ennio Morricone - Composer (Music Score)
Mario Morra - Editor
Andrea Crisanti - Production Designer / Art Director
Beatrice Bordone - Costume Designer
Maruizio Trani - Makeup
REVIEW
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