"The graveyard of Polynesia"

Mystery, wild rats and avaricious whalers
Alkan CHAGLAR (alkan@toplumpostasi.net)
toplumpostasi.net

September 28, 2006

Windswept volcanic rocks assaulted at every angle by the ferocity of the Ocean in which it lies, Easter Island has kindled the imaginations of Europeans with its unexplained humanoid statues since it was given its name by Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen who sighted it in April 1771. The mysterious megaliths on Rapa Nui (the Polynesian name for the island), which admittedly reassembles silent Gods watching over their subjects have been a source of shrouded mystery for many European writers. Long trying to locate answers for the megaliths and the foreboding ecological disaster that left the island a desert in the ocean, Europeans have thought up many possible theories, some bordering on the extremes of human imagination.

Click here to read the complete article.

"Monolithic" pop culture references #12

Ever searching for news about Rapa Nui, this blog's administrator comes across many references to Rapa Nui and its famous moai. Often, these references are quite comical and have nothing to do with the island or the culture of Rapa Nui. Other times, they appear to be speculative, based more on misconceptions than reality, or downright bizarre. Here are some of the more recent references:

Seattle Times:
Pop-Polynesian style rears its (Easter Island) head again

New Zealand Herald:
The repetitive hard stuff is meant to convey that the Triton is still tough, backed up by a Get Hard strap line and a couple of Easter-Island-type figures called "Rock" and "Hard Place" who talk to each other in a Kiwi working-bloke sort of way.

Capital Press:
There were past civilizations that did not adapt to climate changes or may have fostered disasters - the Vikings in Greenland, the Mayans in Mexico, the inhabitants of Easter Island, and others.

Independent:
By the Sixties he was a major star, living in Chiswick (with a seaside retreat at Eastbourne), happily married, and the nation's most imitated performer, loved as much for his Easter Island face as his daft jokes ("I went to the doctor.

New book documents Rapa Nui over past 25 years

Rapa Nui, Island of Memory
by David Stanley
South Pacific Travel Blog
Saturday, September 23, 2006

The Easter Island Foundation has just brought out a new book by Georgia Lee, Rapa Nui, Island of Memory ... documenting island life over the last 25 years.

Click here to read the complete post.

Click here to visit the Easter Island Foundation's website.

Click here to visit the Amazon.com listing for Rapa Nui, Island of Memory.

"Monolithic" pop culture references #11

Ever searching for news about Rapa Nui, this blog's administrator comes across many references to Rapa Nui and its famous moai. Often, these references are quite comical and have nothing to do with the island or the culture of Rapa Nui. Other times, they appear to be speculative, based more on misconceptions than reality, or downright bizarre. Here are some of the more recent references:

United Rant:
Sadly though it won't be the last time we see O'Shea in the centre of the park, nor his love-child on the wing, nor Easter Island Head at left back despite the overwhelming evidence that these players are not, have never been and will never be good enough for the club.

Olive Press:
Not that he's a miserable person when you get to know him - far from it - but the faces of the Easter Island statues are positively mirthsome in comparison to his.

Des Moines Register:
Derrick Ogden's art students are working on challenging projects. Eighth-graders are completing their Moai cedar sculptures in homage to the monolithic sculptures found on Easter Island.

Moai threatened by corrosion

CHILE’S EASTER ISLAND MOAIS STATUES THREATENED BY CORROSION
By Laura Gillis (editor@santiagotimes.cl)
Santiago Times
SOURCE: EL MERCURIO
(September 21, 2006)

The iconic Moais statues of Easter Island are deteriorating at an alarming rate, and experts fear that without a large scale restoration effort, these emblematic figures could be irreparably damaged and eventually lost.

Click here to read the complete article.

Sailing to Rapa Nui and around South America

Jimmy Cornell's South American Vacation
By Jimmy Cornell More articles by this author
Cruising World
September 19, 2006B

On the next leg, from the Galápagos to Easter Island, the prevailing winds will be from the south east, which means that much of this leg will be close to the wind. However, getting to the island of the giant statues is well worth the effort, as there are few more interesting places in the entire world.

Click here to read the complete article.

"Monolithic" pop culture references #10

Ever searching for news about Rapa Nui, this blog's administrator comes across many references to Rapa Nui and its famous moai. Often, these references are quite comical and have nothing to do with the island or the culture of Rapa Nui. Other times, they appear to be speculative, based more on misconceptions than reality, or downright bizarre. Here are some of the more recent references:

Variety:
By contrast, Cynthia Nixon's award-winning Becca was a woman turned to stone. She loomed over the other characters like one of those heads on Easter Island, and her refusal to even consider any offer of comfort was her particular hubris that turned her melodrama into true tragedy.

Guardian:
It will have come as no consolation to the departing titan to learn he was not alone on a day of sport that resembled nothing so much as the felling of Easter Island statues.

Blade:
His head appears chiseled from a chunk of granite - it's an Easter Island noggin, without a doubt - and his way of speaking carries the stern, sincere tone of a recidivism brochure.

Popular comic strip features moai

Today's Cartoon

by Mike Peters
Mother Goose and Grimm
09/13/06









Click here to visit the Mother Goose and Grimm website.

Rapanui surprise at Utah "dance spectacular"

UHDA charms Kingsbury Hall audience
Utah Hispanic Dance Alliance educates audience with flair
By Scott Iwasaki
Deseret Morning News
Tuesday, September 12, 2006

One surprise was the inclusion of the Easter Island culture with a mix of Hispanic and Polynesian dancing, which was a welcome addition during the Chilean "Isla de Pascua" (which means "Easter Island").

Click here to read the complete article.

"Monolithic" pop culture references #9

Ever searching for news about Rapa Nui, this blog's administrator comes across many references to Rapa Nui and its famous moai. Often, these references are quite comical and have nothing to do with the island or the culture of Rapa Nui. Other times, they appear to be speculative, based more on misconceptions than reality, or downright bizarre. Here are some of the more recent references:

Chicago Tribune:
Yet for years, a parking garage at the Cook County Criminal Courts Building has inexplicably hosted these half-dozen or so vehicles that sit like the statues of Easter Island, vexing the curious.

Northwest Progressive Institute Official Blog:
Nothing happened on Easter Island without trees: no fires for cooking, no materials for building houses, no canoes for fishing, and no wooden poles for raising the enigmatic giant stone statues which stand to this day with their backs toward the sea.

Austin American-Statesman:
A small museum at the northeast corner of the Municipal Building has reproductions of human figurines with folded arms found on Syros dating back as far as 2,800 B.C. They look a little bit like the giant heads found on Easter Island in the Pacific and a little bit like the Oscar award. There also are other artifacts from the island.

Following the paths of Cook and Bligh to Rapa Nui

Keeping the summer going
BY ARLINE and SAM BLEECKER (Chicago Tribune)
Providence Journal
01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, September 10, 2006

... you can nab free air on a Discovery cruise/tour in February, when the line’s 650-passenger ship Discovery will follow the paths of captains Cook and Bligh, making South Pacific calls at Robinson Crusoe Island, an overnight call at Easter Island, and then heading to Raiatea and Bora Bora.

Click here to read the complete article.

Click here for a previous Rapa Nui News post about this cruise.

British Museum to exhibit Rapa Nui items in upcoming exhibit

Power & Taboo: Sacred objects from the Pacific
28 September 2006 – 7 January 2007
British MuseumRoom 5
Admission free

Power & Taboo explores the power of the gods in the Polynesian islands of the eastern Pacific. Displaying part of the British Museum's remarkable early collections from this region, and illustrated with images made in the early part of European settlement (1760-1860), the exhibition investigates Polynesian ideas about the gods and how to manage their powers. Many of the objects have had a lasting influence on 20th Century artists such as Pablo Picasso and Henry Moore. Lectures, films and events, which tie in with the themes of the exhibition, will begin later this month.

Click here to visit the British Museum online.

Fresh light on the new world in pictures that helped inspire first English settlers
Mark Brown, arts correspondent
The Guardian
Friday September 8, 2006

Drawing on the [British Museum's] unparalleled collections in this area - there will be 82 exhibits from an astonishing collection of 45,000 items held - it will show how people lived in this vast island group between New Zealand, Hawaii and Easter Island.

Click here to read the complete article.

New7Wonders countdown begins; Rapa Nui among finalists

Countdown in Athens to select world wonders
India News
Thursday, September 7th, 2006

Athens, Sep 6 (DPA) With the launch of a hot-air balloon over the ancient Acropolis, the campaign to select the new seven wonders of the world reached its final countdown in Athens ... Among the contestants are ... the Easter Island Statues ...

Click here to read the complete article.

Rapa Nui has "shot" to be new world wonder

CHILE’S EASTER ISLAND AIMS TO BECOME WORLD WONDER
SOURCE: LA TERCERA, THE BRADSHAW FOUNDATION
By Liz Yates (editor@santiagotimes.cl)
Santiago Times
September 6, 2006

In the 2nd century BC, mathematician and travel writer Antipater of Sidon named the seven best destinations to visit in the Mediterranean world. He called them the Seven Wonders. Thousands of years later, seven new wonders will be added to the list, and Chile’s Easter Island has a shot at obtaining the prestigious honor.

Click here to read the complete article.

"Monolithic" pop culture references #8

Ever searching for news about Rapa Nui, this blog's administrator comes across many references to Rapa Nui and its famous moai. Often, these references are quite comical and have nothing to do with the island or the culture of Rapa Nui. Other times, they appear to be speculative, based more on misconceptions than reality, or downright bizarre. Here are some of the more recent references:

Sydney Morning Herald:
Denton then described Mr Chipp's impression of government censors and what they might do with pornography magazines, his lust for the Queen and the similarities between former prime minister Malcolm Fraser and an Easter Island statue "with a poker up its arse".

Australian:
THROUGH the decades a passion for archeology has given me special and profound insights into Australian politics. Thus my visit to Easter Island in 1975 revealed a place littered with dirty great statues of Malcolm Fraser.

Abercrombie & Kent tour to visit Rapa Nui

Tour touches down on nine world wonders
Associated Press
canada.com
Saturday, September 02, 2006

Most of us can't afford the $70,000 US price tag of a 23-day trip being offered by the tour operator Abercrombie & Kent. The trip takes you around the globe on a private jet with 48 other travellers to visit nine world wonders.

Click here to read the complete article.

California party shop inspired by visit to Rapa Nui

Get the party started
BY KYLIE MENDONCA
New Times SLO
Thursday, Aug 31, 2006

[Owner] Schinsing came up with the name [Moai Sue] after visiting Easter Island on a post-retirement vacation ... Moai Sue specializes in kitschy retro-ware and supplies for party themes you never knew about.

Click here to read the full article.

QE2's Pacific "Odyssey"

Historic Tandem Transatlantic Crossing And 'First Ever Meeting Of Three Queens' Herald Cunard's 2008 World Cruises
CCN Matthews
AUGUST 31, 2006 - 09:00 ET

[QE2's] 2008 voyage will see her concentrate on South America and the Pacific in a 103-night odyssey that will leave Southampton on 6 January and call at 30 places in 17 countries - a mix of exciting cities and interesting ports. After leaving New York QE2 will head around South America calling at Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo, the Falkland Islands and Valparaiso. Cruising into the Pacific she will then circle the world's largest ocean before arriving at Los Angeles on 30 March. Port calls will include Easter Island, Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Honolulu.

Click here to read the full release.

"Monolithic" pop culture references #7

Ever searching for news about Rapa Nui, this blog's administrator comes across many references to Rapa Nui and its famous moai. Often, these references are quite comical and have nothing to do with the island or the culture of Rapa Nui. Other times, they appear to be speculative, based more on misconceptions than reality, or downright bizarre. Here are some of the more recent references:

The Herald:
His series of drawings hang on the wall and seem to be photocopies of discarded socks. A monolithic painting leans against the wall, square, sturdy and black, while a wood sculpture looks down on it, an Easter Island head given a body.

A.V. Club:
The kids were like Easter Island statues. They just stared at us.[Quote by Conan O'Brien]

Click here to read more "monolithic" pop culture references.

"Monolithic" pop culture references #6

Ever searching for news about Rapa Nui, this blog's administrator comes across many references to Rapa Nui and its famous moai. Often, these references are quite comical and have nothing to do with the island or the culture of Rapa Nui. Other times, they appear to be speculative, based more on misconceptions than reality, or downright bizarre. Here are some of the more recent references:

Observer:
Watching the not-very-funny comedy The Break-Up, I'm an Easter Island statue of ill-humour.

Straight.com:
Accustomed as we are to teachers being presented as inspirational figures—flawed by overzealousness, perhaps, but iconic as Easter Island statues in tweed jackets—it takes some time to adjust to a cinematic educator far more screwed up than any of his students.

Click here to read more "monolithic" pop culture references.

New7Wonders campaign to visit Rapa Nui

New7Wonders Campaign to Visit All 21 Candidates

PRNewswire
August 21 2006

Over the next seven months, the New7Wonders World Tour, featuring a huge hot-air balloon and a high-tech airship, will visit the 21 finalist monuments [including Rapa Nui], allowing them to showcase their cultural significance. During the ceremony, an official certificate will be presented to each candidate.

Click here to read the full release.

Luxury ocean "residences" to visit Rapa Nui

The World South Pacific Cruise
by David Stanley
South Pacific Travel Blog
Saturday August 19, 2006

The beginning fare from Tahiti to Easter Island (10 days) for the least expensive studio is US$14,500 double including food, drinks, tips, and port taxes.

Click here to read the full post.

Click here to visit The World online.

Easter Island boardgame released

Gone Cardboard News: Easter Island - Released
Posted by Rick Thornquist
Boardgame News
08/17 at 04:24 PM

Twilight Creations has released Easter Island.

Click here to read the full post.


Click here to visit Twilight Creations webpage for the Easter Island boardgame.

Rethinking Rapa Nui's past

Rethinking the Fall of Easter Island
New evidence points to an alternative explanation for a civilization's collapse
Terry L. Hunt
American Scientist
September-October 2006


Every year, thousands of tourists from around the world take a long flight across the South Pacific to see the famous stone statues of Easter Island. Since 1722, when the first Europeans arrived, these megalithic figures, or moai, have intrigued visitors. Interest in how these artifacts were built and moved led to another puzzling question: What happened to the people who created them?

Click here to read the full article.

More about this article at the below referenced blog:

Attack Of The Easter Island Rats
posted by beajerry
Cosmic Watercooler
Wednesday, August 16, 2006

But that rats were the main cause of deforestation?

Click here to read the full post.

"In the Wake of the Bounty" to visit Rapa Nui

When summer ends, follow the sun
By Arline and Sam Bleecker (Chicago Tribune)
San Jose Mercury News
(MCT)
Posted on Mon, Aug. 14, 2006

Specifically, you can nab free air on a Discovery cruise/tour in February, when the line's 650-passenger ship Discovery will follow the paths of captains Cook and Bligh, making South Pacific calls at Robinson Crusoe Island, an overnight call at Easter Island, and then heading to Raiatea and Bora Bora. The 16-day cruise/tour - dubbed "In the Wake of the Bounty" - departs from Santiago, Chile, Feb. 27. Rates begin at $3,650 per person and include free air and a two-night hotel stay in Santiago.

Click here to read the full article.

How to make a 9 foot inflatable moai

The building of two 9' inflatable Moai for the Tiki Invasion stage.

Posted By: Bif Sterling
Inflatable Moai
(first post) Sat Jul 01, 2006 9:14 pm

Click here for a series of blog posts about the construction of two inflatable moai and their use in a recent event.

More about the inflatable moai at the below referenced article:

HOW TO - Make an inflatable Moai
Posted by Phillip Torrone
Make Blog
Aug 9, 2006 08:17 AM

We converted two Halloween lawn decorations into 9' Moai ...

Click here to read the full post.

"Monolithic" pop cultures references #5

Ever searching for news about Rapa Nui, this blog's administrator comes across many references to Rapa Nui and its famous moai. Often, these references are quite comical and have nothing to do with the island or the culture of Rapa Nui. Other times, they appear to be speculative, based more on misconceptions than reality, or downright bizarre. Here are some of the more recent references:

Yahoo! Sports:
You can count on Brady to play just about 16 games, do it at peak efficiency, lumber around in the pocket like an Easter Island statue, and make relatively few mistakes.

United Rant:
As usual though once the drink started to flow we stayed around Mojo's, talking to William and Shane Davies the later being a Easter Island Head lookalike!

Tonawanda News:
These containers will line up on the streets like Easter Island statues, each a monument to Kenmore’s insistence that solutions precede problems.

Click here to read more "monolithic" pop culture references.

Solo one-armed sailing expedition to visit Rapa Nui

Japanese sailor single-handedly takes on the world
By JULIE JAG, Sentinel staff writer
Santa Cruz Sentinel
August 10, 2006

[One-armed Japanese sailor, Akio Yonago, will] leave Santa Cruz on Aug. 20 for a short jaunt to Monterey. Then he'll continue down the coast, docking often along the way, as he makes his way to Mexico, Easter Island, Chile and Cape Horn. He would like to make a stop in Antarctica before continuing to Africa, Europe and back to Japan.

Click here to read the full article.

New puzzle game features Rapa Nui background

Domino Quake
GameZone
Electronic: 08/08/2006

Every race takes place on the most evocative locations on earth, from the Rapa Nui Island to India, visiting the ruins of the ancient Aztecs and the gold sands of the Sphinx. A fall of fun is waiting for you…

Click here for the rest of the article.

2007 Easter Island Conference at Gotland University

2007 Easter Island Conference
by David Stanley
South Pacific Travel Blog
Posted on Monday August 8, 2006

Gotland University and the Easter Island Foundation are organizing the VII International Conference on Easter Island and the Pacific Islands at Visby on Gotland Island, Sweden, from 20-25 August 2007.

Click here to read the full post.

Click here to visit the Easter Island Foundation's conference webpage.

Click here to visit Gotland University's conference webpage.

Rapanui among representatives of the "liquid continent"

Environment: Sinking States
UNPO.org
2006-08-07

The Indigenous Peoples Pacific Caucus and Hawaii Institute for Human Rights hosted a government representative from Tuvalu to speak to Maori, Aboriginals, Kanaka Maoli and Rapa Nui representatives about the immediate impact of global warming on the liquid continent of the world.

Click here to read the full press release.

"Monolithic" pop culture references #4

Ever searching for news about Rapa Nui, this blog's administrator comes across many references to Rapa Nui and its famous moai. Often, these references are quite comical and have nothing to do with the island or the culture of Rapa Nui. Other times, they appear to be speculative, based more on misconceptions than reality, or downright bizarre. Here are some of the more recent references:

uuworld.org:
Niches and crevices, phalluses and totem poles, Easter Island gods and priestly sentinels stood in rank and file atop sandstone walls pierced here and there with a window or a stone arch.

The Gadflyer:
Kerry has suffered quips about his angular jaw line, including Dennis Miller's description of him as "an Easter Island statue in a power tie."

The Star (South Africa):
Is there perhaps a tribe of one- legged, four-toed, torso-less types lurking? Or does the leg belong to one of those heads over on Easter Island ...

Click here to read more "monolithic" pop culture references.

Rapa Nui delegation "stand out" at Geneva celebration

International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples celebration in Palais des Nations
UNPO.org
2006-08-07

Meanwhile the Rapa Nui delegation to the WGIP stood out, painted as they were in white, and singing and dancing to the sounds of a konch shell and guitar.

Click here to read the full press release.

"Monolithic" pop culture references #3

Ever searching for news about Rapa Nui, this blog's administrator comes across many references to Rapa Nui and its famous moai. Often, these references are quite comical and have nothing to do with the island or the culture of Rapa Nui. Other times, they appear to be speculative, based more on misconceptions than reality, or downright bizarre. Here are some of the more recent references:

San Francisco Chronicle:
Ah, but the similarity in tasks ends with the tools. Jose Mendez's labor of love is a tiki garden, complete with thatched bar, soothing waterfalls, koi pond, firefly lights and Easter Island carved pizza oven.

Sunday Times:
On the front bench, Sheridan remained as still and impassive as he was on most of the trial’s 23 days, an Easter Island statue of brooding vigilance.

Toronto Star:
Whether they were meant to represent spirits of the land, to form an alien landing pad, or simply to be used as local wayfinders, the massive, sculpted heads on Easter Island are international icons that fuse the human figure with the land. Lacking a scale reference, the long-faced forms in Bassiri's work, contrasted against the bright green of the grass of his lawn, could well be mistaken for those Easter Island heads (or at least a long-lost cousin).

Toronto Star:
The mini-civilization of Easter Island, for instance, eventually wrecked its whole ecology for the sake of its statue cult. The last tree came down to put up the last colossus. The bare earth then washed or blew away, leaving hunger, war, and death.

Click here to read more "monolithic" pop culture references.

13.9% more Lan Airlines Rapa Nui passengers

FRENCH POLYNESIA: June Produced 11% More Int'l Airline Passengers

Source: Tahitipresse
Pacific Magazine
Friday: August 4, 2006

Lan Airlines flew the same number of Santiago-Easter Island-Papeete-Easter Island-Santiago flights (18) in June as a year ago, but carried 13.9% more passengers who filled an average 54% of the flights, compared with 47.4% last year.

Click here to read the full article.

Rapa Nui port of call for Fred Olsen Cruise

Daily Doc: travelling to New Zealand by sea
'Doc Holiday'
Times Online
August 03, 2006

The ports of call is a mouth-watering list, leaving Dover for Lisbon, Tenerife, St Lucia, Barbados, Curacao, Panama Canal, Lima, Easter Island, Pitcairn Island, Tahiti, Cook Islands, Tonga, and Auckland.

Click here to read the full article.

Visit Fred Oslen Cruise Lines online:
http://www.FredOlsenCruises.co.uk

Santiago-Hanga Roa is important air cargo route

Air passenger traffic record for Chile
Chile’s airline industry set a historic record in June, welcoming more international traffic than any other year at this time, 287.966 passengers.
Mercosur
MercoPress News Agency
Thursday, 03 August

As to domestic cargo traffic, the volume in the first half of the year also dropped 3.3%. The most important volume routes are: Santiago-Iquique, 18.3%; Santiago-Antofagasta 15.1%; Santiago-Punta Arenas 14.4% and Santiago-Easter Island 10.7%.

Click here to read the full article.

Rapa Nui slide show and lecture at Maine museum

Lighthouse Museum lecture series continues Sunday, Aug. 13 with Trip to Easter Island
By Maine Lighthouse Museum

Village Soup
August 2, 2006

The mysteries of Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui, in the South Pacific will be the topic of the next Maine Lighthouse Museum lecture on Sunday, August 13, 2006, at 1 p.m. David Zelz, who has traveled extensively throughout the South Pacific, will show slides of the island's landscapes, its people, and the hundreds of huge and mysterious stone statues known as moai that dot Easter Island's coastline.

Click here to read the full article.

Visit the Maine Lighthouse Museum online:
http://www.mainelighthousemuseum.com/

Re-vamped drive-in theatre features moai

Mission Tiki Drive-In is thrivin'
David Allen, Columnist
DailyBulletin.com
Article Launched: 08/02/2006 12:00:00 AM PDT

Ticket booths and the snack bar now resemble grass huts, employees wear Hawaiian shirts and a cluster of Easter Island-like tiki idols greet patrons.

Click here to read the full article.

Visit Mission Tiki Drive-In online:
http://www.missiontiki.com/

Find out about the theatre's upcoming "Tiki-Invasion" special event on August 5:
http://www.myspace.com/missiontiki

"Monolithic" pop culture references #2

Ever searching for news about Rapa Nui, this blog's administrator comes across many references to Rapa Nui and its famous moai. Often, these references are quite comical and have nothing to do with the island or the culture of Rapa Nui. Other times, they appear to be speculative, based more on misconceptions than reality, or downright bizarre. Here are some of the more recent references:

T3:
To our eyes [the Philips SPA3200 and SPA2200 speakers] look like the spooky heads from Easter Island, but at £17 and £15 respectively they’re a steal.

Philadelphia Inquirer:
... actor Luis Tosar as Montoya, a drug lord [in Miami Vice] with a face as unreadable as an Easter Island statue and a growl almost as undecipherable.

Click here to read more "monolithic" pop culture references.

Sci-Fi adventure novel incorporates Rapa Nui into story

Xlibris Releases a Captivating Sci-Fi Adventure Novel
Source: Xlibris
PrimeZone
Jul 28, 2006 19:00

Visitors to Stonehenge, Easter Island and the Great Pyramids, tell of unexplained visions of a past world buried deep within the depths of the oceans. Can all these stories be only flights of imagination? The answers are waiting to be discovered as Xlibris releases Atlantis Artifactus: The Track of the Manlion, the captivating new book from veteran researcher Myron Morris.

Click here to read the full article.

Click here to read an excerpt from the book on the Xlibris website.

Questioning Rapa Nui's "Collapse" (article and podcast)

Easter Island: A monumental collapse?
Emma Young
New Scientist
Magazine issue 2562
29 July 2006

The story of ecological disaster on Easter Island seems to confirm our worst fears about human hubris, but is it really a morality tale for our time?

The above is from an article preview, which appears to critique the view taken by Jared Diamond, author of the best selling Collapse, who suggests that "the parallels between Easter Island and the whole modern world are chillingly obvious." Click here for the rest of the article preview.

Click here to listen to a New Scientist podcast of Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo discussing Easter Island with New Scientist's Ivan Semeniuk (mp3 file, 9MB).

New Anthology of Archaeological Travel Writing

Here's an article about a new release from Oxford University Press, From Stonehenge to Samarkand: An Anthology of Archaeological Travel Writing (Hardcover) by Brian Fagan, which includes references to Rapa Nui.

Writers on Ruins: An "Anthology of Archaeological Travel Writing"
Posted by Jim Benning
World Hum
7.25.06

Brian Fagan, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara ... reflects on how archaeological travel has changed over the years, and not always for the better ... But plenty of other ruins “still intoxicate” him ... including ... the brooding moiae of Easter Island, massive ancestral statues that ring the coast ...

Click here to read the full post.

Click here to read a weblog posted by Brian Fagan about compiling and publishing this anthology.

"Monolithic" pop culture references #1

Ever searching for news about Rapa Nui, this blog's administrator comes across many references to Rapa Nui and its famous moai. Often, these references are quite comical and have nothing to do with the island or the culture of Rapa Nui. Other times, they appear to be speculative, based more on misconceptions than reality, or downright bizarre. Here are some of the more recent references:

Washington Post Magazine:
We have all crossed our arms over our chests, and put on our best Easter Island faces.

Bloomberg.com:

The limestone "Head'' [by Modigliani] (1911-12) looks like an Easter Island monolith -- endless nose and tiny mouth -- crossed with a fashion model.

San Jose Mercury News:
That performance is shot with [Leonard] Cohen's great stone face in such weirdly static close-ups that it looks as if one of the monoliths on Easter Island has suddenly come to life in a David Lynch video.

Polynesians on Rapa Nui by 900 A.D.

First footsteps of Polynesians' ancestors tracked
By Bob Krauss Advertiser Columnist
Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, July 23, 2006

The Polynesians found the Marquesas and Tahiti by A.D. 700, Hawai'i and Easter Island by A.D. 900, and New Zealand by A.D. 1200.

Click here to read the full article.

"Petroglyphs of Rapanui" on display in Garnerville, New York

The only known comprehensive collection of petroglyph rubbings from Rapa Nui is on exhibit (by appointment) through September at the Garnerville Arts and Industrial Center in Rockland County, New York. Visit http://www.garnervillearts.com/ for details.

Art without borders
By GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
ggouveia@lohud.com
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: July 23, 2006)

Across the Hudson River, The Garnerville Arts & Industrial Center, a kind of artisitic U.N., Inc. is the home of "Petroglyphs of Rapanui," nearly 100 impressions taken from images carved into bedrock on Rapanui (Easter Island).

Click here to read the full article.

Moai-shaped playground climbing monument

"Easter Island Leaning" from Monolithic Sculpture Inc.

GeoSculpt® Monuments, exclusively distributed by the BCI Burke Company, are scaled replications of famous natural rock formations or man-made icons. Our reproductions of artifacts such as Stonehenge and Easter Island add an enduring, recognizable character to any environment.

Dimensions: 7 feet by 5 feet
Height: 8.5 feet
Age range: 5 to 12 years old

Visit Monolithic Sculpture online:
http://www.monosculpt.com/

Read an article about a Louisian town installing the Easter Island Leaning in one of its parks:

West Park gets new attraction
By JULIE B. ROBINSON (staff writer)
Beauregard Daily News (Online from DeRidder, La)
Sunday July 23, 2006

The four GeoSculpt structures - Devil's Tower, Easter Island Leaning, Sandstone Flake and Small Delicate Arch, are geared for ages 5 to 12, according to Allen Shellenbarger, public works director.

Click here to read the full article.

Rapa Nui in Brides Magazine

Real Exotics

by Bob Payne

Photograph by Emilia Simonelli

Brides Magazine

July/August 2006 issue, page 466

If there is a symbol for the mysteries travel can bring us face to face with, it is not the ever-shrinking airline snack but the ancient statues of Easter Island.

Read the full article in the July/August 2006 issue of Brides Magazine (there doesn't seem to be an online version of the article).

Visit the Brides Magazine website:

http://www.brides.com/

Tiki Magazine's logo now a limited edition mug

This blog's administrator recently covered the release of this Tiki Farm mug in one of his other blogs (see below). Since that time, this limited edition mug based upon Tiki Magazine's moai-inspired logo (designed by Derik Yanegir) has sold out.

New Tiki Magazine Tiki Mug to go on sale soon

by Chris Osburn

Tiki Chris

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

See the original post:

http://tikichris.blogspot.com/2006/07/new-tiki-magazine-tiki-mug-to-go-on.html

Visit the Tiki Farm website:
http://tikifarm.com/zaniger_mug_ltd.htm

Meet Tiki Farm's Mr. Rapa Nui

Tiki Farm Mr. Rapa Nui tiki chiminea
by How Bowers
Tiki Talk
posted on Wednesday, July 19th, 2006 at 11:06 am

Tiki Farm, one of the finest makers of ceramic tiki mugs in the business, is now branching out into even larger ceramics. Their new “Mr. Rapa Nui” is a 42″ inch tall chiminea, which is a partially-enclosed backyard fire pit.

Read the complete post:
http://tikitalk.astropad.com/archives/tiki-farm-mr-rapa-nui-tiki-chiminea/

Visit the Tiki Farm website:
http://www.tikifarm.com/

Rapa Nui vacation extension added to Antarctica expedition cruises

Ncv Introduces New "Antarctica Cruise Extension Program" To Iguazu Falls, Machu Picchu, Atacama Desert And Easter Island
Travel Video Television
Jul 14, 06 11:43 am

On remote Easter Island, in the Pacific Ocean 2,340 miles west of Chile, participants take in the monumental stone sculptures (moais) along the coast, a quarry with 397 stone figures in the Rano Raraku volcano crater, the view from Rano Kau volcano, partially restored Orongo village, Ana Kai Tangata caves, Ahu Akivi ceremonial center and legendary Anakena beach. The pre-cruise tour adds one hotel night in Santiago.

Read the full article here:
http://travelvideo.tv/news/more.php?id=9225_0_1_0_M

Norwegian Costal Voyage's website with details about the Easter Island extension:
http://2006.coastalvoyage.com/elist/easter-island.htm

New Paris museum features items from Rapa Nui

Two recent articles discuss Paris's newest museum, the Musee du Quai Branly, which features artwork from Rapa Nui.

Sex, Birth, Death and God
An intriguing new museum in Paris helps explain Picasso's life-changing fascination with primal art.

By Christopher Dickey
Newsweek International
July 3-10, 2006 issue

Last week many of the pieces that first fascinated Picasso were revealed at the opening of the vast new Musée du Quai Branly on the banks of the Seine, along with thousands of other works from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. They make up the most spectacular permanent exhibition of non-Western art ever assembled: some 3,500 pieces are on display, with another 300,000 stored in the basement.

Read the full article:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13528596/site/newsweek/

The museum that Jacques built
By Robert Graham
Financial Times
Published: June 23 2006 10:44 Last updated: June 23 2006 10:44

Quai Branly has opted for a bold, eclectic mix of anthropology, ethnography and art history drawing on the collections of the two museums, which have now been closed. Inheriting such a huge store of objects - from a giant Easter Island sculpture to a store of 700,000 photographs - has led to a further innovation.

Read the full article:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/6a0e5832-01ba-11db-a141-0000779e2340.html

Visit the museum's website:
http://www.quaibranly.fr/index.php?id=accueil&L=1

New book parallels Rapa Nui with history of planet

Golden Phoenix Publications, a Washington State Registered, Privately Held Multi-Media Publisher, Announces Its First Book “Blue Planet & Beyond”
Press release

eMediaWire
Olympia, WA (PRWEB) June 22, 2006


Blue Planet & Beyond describes the history of Easter Island, from its geologic formation, through the period of massive stone-statue erection, to today’s efforts by Rapanui inhabitants to regenerate their society. Paralleling this discussion, the book recaps the formation of the Earth, the development of its living systems, and the role humanity plays - past, present, and future - in influencing the history of the planet.

Read the full piece:
http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2006/6/emw402121.htm

More about the book:
http://www.lulu.com/content/328592

Pacific Princess World Cruise to visit Rapa Nui

Pacific Princess to Sail on World Cruise in 2008
102-Day Voyage Marks Princess' First Global Journey in More Than Five Years
Press release
PR Newswire

The vessel then heads across the Pacific to Easter Island and cruises by Pitcairn Island, before stops in Tahiti and Rarotonga.

Read the full piece:
http://sev.prnewswire.com/leisure-travel-hotels/20060612/LAM03612062006-1.html

New Zealand Green Party co-leader speaks about the lesson of Rapa Nui

Learning from Easter Island - crunch time for planet earth
Speech by Russel Norman, Green Party Co-Leader Green Party AGM, Upper Hutt
Scoop Independent News

June 4, 2006

Now, our society has its own cult of the ever-bigger statue, and it's called the cult of never ending growth in material consumption and GDP. Each year we must build an ever-bigger statue consuming yet more resources taken from the forests and quarries and factories of the four corners of the earth.

Read the full article:

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0606/S00037.htm

Moai inspired playground in Detroit area

Art as playscape stands test of time
Plymouth Township sculptures created by son of Norman Rockwell feed kids' imaginations.
Doug Guthrie

The Detroit News
Thursday, June 01, 2006

The travertine sculptures appear prehistoric, like remnants of Mayan ruins. In the decades they have stood in the park, they have become as mysterious as the giant stone Moai heads of Easter Island.

Read the full article:

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060601/METRO01/606010379/1006

New Easter Island boardgame for August 2006

Gone Cardboard News: Easter Island - Pictures and Rules

Posted by Rick Thornquist

Boardgame News

05/25 at 06:13

Twilight Creations has posted some more pictures plus the for their upcoming game Easter Island. Check out their Easter Island page to see the pictures. Here are the Easter Island Rules (in PDF format).

Read the full article:

http://www.boardgamenews.com/index.php/boardgamenews/C6/

from the Twilight Creations site:

This game speculates that the statues were, in fact, beam weapons created by two very powerful wizards. These wizards used the statues in a giant game, with the island itself as the board. You are now one of those wizards...

Read more:

http://www.twilightcreationsinc.com/easterisland/

Rapa Nui is 'loneliest place on earth' according to Google

Google is a Travel Agent

by markj

jaunted.com

Tue May 23, 2006 at 05:52:51 PM EST

Since Google is the all knowing and all powerful master of our domain, we figured it was time to use her algorithmic powers to answer all of our travel questions.
We asked our new travel agent to find us the loneliest place on earth--figuring some alone time can do everyone a bit of good.

Click here to read the full article.

Rapa Nui tourist support?

A Times reader asks about support for her dream trip to Rapa Nui.

Daily Doc: Easter Island
'Doc Holiday'
Times Online

May 23, 2006

It's my long-term ambition to visit Easter Island. The island website seems tourist friendly, but I'm nervous of travelling so far without support. Do you know of any specialist tour operators I could use, without needing to commit to a tour of South America?

Read the full article:
http://travel.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,18409-2192741,00.html

National Geographic Expeditions to visit Rapa Nui

National Geographic Expeditions offers two trips to Rapa Nui: one, a circumnavigation of the world by private jet and two, an 18-day cruise to Tahiti and Rapa Nui, with several stops along the way.

Around the World by Private Jet

Join National Geographic on an unforgettable expedition, traveling in ease and comfort by private jet. While circling the globe, explore the natural and cultural wonders of the world's most treasured and legendary places—Peru, Easter Island, Samoa, the Great Barrier Reef, Cambodia, Tibet, India, Tanzania, Egypt, and Morocco.

More details:

http://www.nationalgeographicexpeditions.com/486.html

Easter Island to Tahiti

Follow in the footsteps of explorers and seafarers aboard the National Geographic Endeavour on an epic voyage from Easter Island, home to the intriguing moai statues, to tropical French Polynesia. Along the way, discover the uninhabited atolls of the Pitcairn Islands, snorkel and kayak around the Gambier Islands, and explore the flowery slopes and stunning beaches of Bora-Bora in the Society Islands.

More details:
http://www.nationalgeographicexpeditions.com/494.html

United Nations exhibition displays ancient Rapa Nui art

Presented in celebration of the 5th Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, an exhibition in the UN Visitors’ Lobby (New York) features a Rapa Nui display. The exhibition runs until 15 June 2006.

United Nations Press Release
Note number 6011Department of Public Information
News and Media Division
New York
16 May 2006

An art and photographic exhibition, featuring indigenous people from around the world, will open with a formal ceremony and reception on Tuesday, 16 May, at 6:15 p.m. in the Main Gallery of the General Assembly Visitors’ Lobby. The joint exhibition, entitled “Indigenous Peoples: Honouring the Past, Present and Future”, is presented in celebration of the fifth session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. It consists of a display of artworks by the ancient Rapanui islanders, along with carving, weaving, quilting, painting, drawing and printmaking by contemporary indigenous artists from different countries, who represent both the traditional approach, as well as a fusion of old and new.

Read the full press release:
www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/note6011.doc.htm

More details:
www.un.org/depts/dhl/events/2006/may.htm
http://www.un.org/

More about Rapamycin (Could it cure cancer?)

ON CHILE’S EASTER ISLAND: FUNGUS PROVIDES A POSSIBLE CANCER DRUG
SOURCE: LA NACIÓN

By Cristina Dunn (editor@santiagotimes.cl)
Santiago Times

May 16, 2006


The drug was first discovered in 1975 as a product of the bacterium “Streptomyces hygroscopicus” in a soil sample from Easter Island, the small triangular island located about 3,760 kilometers off the Chilean coast in the South Pacific Ocean. The fungus was discovered to have antibiotic properties and was originally developed as an antifungal agent.


Read the full article:

http://www.tcgnews.com/santiagotimes/index.php?nav=story&story_id=11327&topic_id=1

QE2 to visit Rapa Nui in 2008

The following bit is from a press release, which features announcements for luxury cruise provider Cunard Line.

QE2 Journeys to South America, the Pacific and the Orient

CNW Group
May 15, 2006

The most experienced world voyager afloat, QE2 will, for the first time in more than a decade, tour South America and the Pacific in a 90-day odysseythat will leave New York on January 13 and make stops in 17 countries ... Port calls will include Easter Island, Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Singapore,Hong Kong, Shanghai and Honolulu. After transiting the Panama Canal, the ship will return home to New York on April 12.

Read the full article:
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2006/15/c6162.html

Rapa Nui fungus drug, Rapamycin, may help against tuberous sclerosis

Fungus drug hope

Daily Telegraph

(Filed: 15/05/2006)


A drug isolated from a fungus found on Easter Island is offering new hope to sufferers of tuberous sclerosis.


Click here to read the full article.

Polynesian exhibit in Norwich, UK includes objects from Rapa Nui

The newly refurbished Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts is set to launch a huge Polynesian art show, with objects from Rapa Nui, from May 21 until August 13, 2006.


A taste of Polynesia over a century
Norwich Evening News 24
12 May 2006


... for the first time, important Polynesian material from British and other collections will be brought together for a major exhibition which will substantially extend appreciation of one of the world's great art traditions. Presenting rare and visually stunning god-images, sculptures, ornaments, textiles and valuables to a wide audience, this exhibition will explore Polynesia during the early period of contact with European voyagers, missionaries and settlers.


Click here for the full article.


Visit the Sainsbury Centre's website for more details:
http://www.scva.org.uk/exhibitions/forthcoming/index.php?exhibition=75

Click here to read a review of the exhibition.

'Sumptuous' hotel planned for Rapa Nui

Overlooked too long
With a sumptuous new hotel in the pipeline, Easter Island is set to become a hot destination, says Paul Miles.
(Filed: 10/05/2006)
Daily Telegraph

Explora, a Chilean company with fabulous hotels in the Atacama desert and Patagonia, will soon open a sumptuous sea-view hotel on Rapa Nui ...

Read the full article click here.

Rapa Nui travel info from the New York Times

Easter Island Visitor Information

By HILARY HOWARD

New York Times
Published: April 30, 2006

Situated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean between Chile and Tahiti, Easter Island, known locally as Rapa Nui, is arguably one of the most difficult places to reach in the world.

Read the full article:

http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/04/30/travel/30easterside.html

Rapa Nui on the verge of tourism boom?

A holiday on the ocean wave - Sunday travel section digest

by Oonagh Shiel

Cheapflights.co.uk

Tips and Views

May 7, 2006

Easter Island (or Rapa Nui), "a speck of land adrift in the empty South Pacific" famous for its giant stone statues (moai), is a ghostly type of place with a dark history, but is on the verge of becoming a popular new destination.

Read the full article:

http://news.cheapflights.co.uk/flights/2006/05/a_life_on_the_o.html

New Museo Andino in Chile features Rapa Nui exhibit

NEW CHILE MUSEUM SHOWS INDIGENOUS ART, CULTURE
By Matt Malinowski (features@santiagotimes.cl)
May 7, 2006
Santiago Times


The museum has two huge halls, one devoted to the cultures of northern Chile and Easter Island, and the other to the Mapuches in southern Chile. The material on display—there’s a lot, but not so much as to intimidate—is explained in ample Spanish and English captions.

Read the full article:
http://www.tcgnews.com/santiagotimes/index.php?nav=story&story_id=11249&topic_id=1

Administrative independence for Rapa Nui?

Easter Island to Gain Autonomy
Constitutional reform will give Chilean province administrative independence
Margot Hotus S. (margoth)
OhmyNews
Published on 2006-05-05 10:54 (KST)


The Chilean Senate has approved a constitutional reform giving Easter Island the status of "Special Territory" apart from the regional, provincial, and municipal designations


http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?no=289863&rel_no=1

Children's computer game features moai on Rapa Nui

The Great Journey
Game Zone
May 4, 2006

5 chapters full of adventure and more than 30 locations from all over the world. Start from the old port town, then sail to sandy Africa and later visit lush, tropical jungle at Crocodile Island. Next, find your way to the mysterious Easter Island and eventually prepare for a dramatic finale on icy Antarctica!

http://pc.gamezone.com/news/05_04_06_07_27AM.htm

Rapa Nui sea kayaking slideshow in Wyandotte, MI May 4, 2006 at 7pm

Kayaking Antarctica, Easter Island

Source: Michigan DNR

Detroit Free Press

Outdoors
OUTPOST: Outdoors news & notes

May 4, 2006

Kayaking Antarctica, Easter Island: Today [May 4, 2006], 7 p.m., Riverside Kayak Connection, 4016 Biddle Ave., Wyandotte [Michigan]. Slide presentation by Stan Chladek on his sea kayak expeditions. Free. 734-285-2925.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060504/SPORTS10/605040336/1058

Riverside Kayak Connection website:

http://www.riversidekayak.com/.

President of Chile visits Rapa Nui - casino debate continues

CHILE PRESIDENT MICHELLE BACHELET TRAVELS TO EASTER ISLAND

By Steve Anderson (editor@santiagotimes.cl)

SOURCE: DIARIO SIETE

Santiago Times

May 4, 2006

President Michelle Bachelet travels to Easter Island (Rapa Nui) today, Thursday, to inaugurate “Month of the Sea” celebrations on Chile’s Pacific Ocean territory. Traveling with the President are Defense Minister Vivianne Blanlot and Interior Minister Andrés Zaldívar.

Earlier this week, Bachelet and Zaldívar hosted a group of Rapa Nui folk dancers at the La Moneda palace. After their presidential performance, the folk dancers, accompanied by Sen. Nelson Avila, presented a petition to Bachelet and Zaldívar signed by 1,200 islanders who oppose the proposed construction of a US$13 gambling casino on the island.

http://www.tcgnews.com/santiagotimes/index.php?nav=story&story_id=11226&topic_id=1

Rapa Nui and Hawai'i share similar "lizard goddess" legend

Canoes expand horizons of Maui public education

By Gary T. Kubota (gkubota@starbulletin.com)

Honolulu Star-Bulletin

Vol. 11, Issue 121 - Monday, May 1, 2006

There is a legend of a lizard goddess, or moo, who lived in the pond -- a story that is also mentioned in the oral history of islanders of Rapa Nui, or Easter Island in the Southeastern Pacific.

http://starbulletin.com/2006/05/01/news/story06.html

17-photo Rapa Nui slideshow on IHT.com

New York Times photographer Tomas Munita's photographs from Rapa Nui are featured on the International Herald Tribune's website. Click here to check out the slideshow.

Easter Island Marathon June 11, 2006

Running away from home
Getting away to do a marathon or 10K run is a popular trend
by Jerry Kooymans More from this author
Yorkregion.com
Apr 30, 2006

Popular destination marathons include Reykjavik (Iceland), Stockholm, Mt. Everest (the official Guinness “world’s highest marathon”), Honolulu, Easter Island, Bermuda, Paris, Berlin, Sydney (Australia) and Antarctica (the latter two being popular with those wanting to join the Seven Continents Club).

The fourth annual Easter Island Marathon, half-marathon and 10K is scheduled for June 11, 2006. In addition, there is a Sprint Triathlon June 9 and a Mountainbike race June 10.

Follow the link to learn more about this event:

http://www.marathontours.com/easterisland/index.shtml.