Hasta La Ideas

Let us now take a quick tour of the Earth to collectively tsk-tsk at recent events we have found shocking in its various nooks and crannies. First, we go to Durham, North Carolina, where, this weekend, vandals broke in to the Museum of Life and Science Dinosaur Trail to lop off the neck and head of a beloved plaster brontosaurus figure, leaving just the steel bar used to support it. Why would someone do such a thing? And where in god’s name are they going to put a gigantic dinosaur head and neck? And of course the museum is going through tough financial times like everyone else, so they won’t be able to repair it. Nice going, jerks. Second, and far more political (we’re guessing), protesters/vandals have hit the Richard Meier-designed Ara Pacis Museum in Rome with water balloons filled with red and green paint. The NY Times reports that “they also left a porcelain toilet and two packs of toilet paper nearby.” We don’t understand any of it, and it all seems entirely too European-artsy-protesting for most anyone to comprehend (see also: the anti-Jeff Koons balloon man), so maybe we’ll just spare a tsk-tsk’ing on this one. Last, the Johnny Appleseed Heritage Center in Ashland, Ohio apparently overestimated the visitor draw it was planning and has run into a good deal of financial troubles, chiefly among them, the architect who designed and built their structure is still owed nearly $175,000 for his work, having only received $5,000 thus far over the past five years. Again, maybe not tsk-tsk worthy, as we feel badly for everyone involved and hope the Center begins to thrive and everyone gets paid in the end. So one tsk-tsk, one head scratcher, and one “best of luck.” End of post.