PDF versions of papers from the 2009 Darwin & Galapagos symposium held at the California Academy of Sciences are available here:

http://research.calacademy.org/scipubs/pubs/1831

More on Star of India death

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jul/18/star-india-volunteer-critically-injured-fall/

San Diego Maritime Museum volunteer dies

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Questions-Surround-Star-of-India-Death-98750274.html

Galapagos conflict - yet again

Galapagos aficionados: a 1-page article in the May 31, 2010, issue of TIME magazine (cover story on FB) on hotels, tourism, and conservation in Galapagos. Negative press for 2 Villamil hotels: Isabela Spa and Iguana Crossing, both described as built in violation of environmental codes.Matt James

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1990789,00.html

Nice article about shipwright north of here at Noyo Harbor.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100517/ARTICLES/100519533

On my list of places to visit:

http://www.hmswarrior.org/

This article hits on so many aspects of why the 1905-06 Galapagos expedition was undertaken and why the extensive collections brought back to San Francisco remain significant today:

http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/the_awe_of_natural_history_collections/

HMS Beagle was launched 190 years ago today, May 11, 1820. Curious tale of suicide, kidnapping, and pedophilia that lead to Charles Darwin sailing on the second of three Beagle voyages (1826, 1831, 1837), all were surveying and hydrographic voyages.

See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Beagle

And for the back-story on Darwin, the Beagle, and Captain Robert Fitzroy, see:

http://tinyurl.com/28j66lz

Ship model photo from:

http://tinyurl.com/2e2rlth

Cast a vote for restoration efforts of the schooner Adventuress.

http://www.soundexp.org/index.php?page=vote4boat

Watch out for Frommers photo contests

http://www.bobkrist.com/blog/frommers-now-fing-freelancers-and-photo-enthusiasts/

Kyrgyzstan - I have plausible deniability

Not unexpectedly, the call came in today requesting I leave immediately to put down the revolution in Kyrgyzstan. I told them (again) that I was much more comfortable toppling unstable regimes than suppressing revolutions. And I reminded them that I really need to mow the lawn and that, yes, I have been their go-to guy numerous times in the past, but I felt someone else would be more appropriate. Oh, and I repeated the thing about the lawn and that seemed to work. So now my lawn is neat and clean, and Kyrgyzstan is a mess. Coincidence? I think not.