SJC100-Islands-as-Metaphors

Macau comprises Macau Peninsula, Taipa island and Coloane island. Coloane has an area of 3 square miles and a length of 2 miles. Taipa has an area of 2.44 square miles. These two islands were originally connected by Estrada do Istmo, which is a highway. Now they are physically connected by a piece of reclaimed land—–Cotai. Taipa is connected to peninsular Macau by Governador Nobre de Carvalho Bridge, Friendship Bridge and the Sai Van Bridge.

In 1557, Macau was rented to Portugal from Ming Dynasty  as a trading port. The Portuguese Empire administered the city under Chinese authority and sovereignty until 1887, when Macau became a colony. It wasn’t until 1999 the sovereignty of Macau was transferred back to Chinese government.

Because it is such a small piece of land, there are no heavy industries. The economy of Macau heavily relied on tourism and casinos. It is known for its casinos in the world. The gambling tourism made up of at least 50% of the income revenue.  Gambling in Macau has been legalized since 1850s. There are 33 casinos in Macau, 10 of them are on Taipa island. 4 casinos in Macau are ranked as the Top 10 best casinos in the world, with The Venetian Macau ranks NO.1.  I have been to The Venetian Macau many times. It is both a luxury hotel and a casino resort, and I only visited the hotel part because I wasn’t old enough yet to be allowed to enter the casino. The hotel is impressive inside out. A mini Venice was put inside the hotel.

The following video shows how it was built.

Macau was one of the world’s richest city because of the casino revenue. The casino industry was once 7 times bigger than that of Las Vegas. Most of the gamblers are from Chinese mainland. However, the economy becomes very bad recently due to the anti-corruption in China. Many people are not willing to come to the casinos any more.

Here are some pictures of The Venetian Macau I took during one of many visits in Macau

In the South Lagoon in Venice, Italy lies what some consider one of the most haunted places in the world.  Poveglia Island, also known as the “Island of Madness,” was abandoned for centuries until the Black Plague spread to Venice.  In 1348, the island was used to quarantine those that were infected.  When the plague hit a second time in 1630, anyone with even the slightest signs of the illness were brought to the island against their will and burned on giant pyres alongside dead bodies.  It is estimated that 160,000 bodies were burned in the island.

Poveglia was abandoned again until the 1920’s when a psychiatric hospital was built with a large bell tower.  It already had a reputation for being haunted, but this became worse when patients began reporting seeing the ghosts of plague victims.  Those working at the hospital ignored this because the patients were already deemed insane.  As if these patients hadn’t suffered enough, it is rumored that there was a doctor that would experiment on patients in the bell tower to find a cure for insanity.  The legend is that after years of experimenting, the doctor began to see the ghosts of plague victims himself.  The ghosts lured him to the top of the tower where he either jumped or was pushed off.  A nurse said to have witnessed this, said that the fall did not kill him and that it was a mist that came up from the ground and choked him.  It is rumored that the doctor was bricked up in the bell tower and although the bell was removed, people can still hear the bell ringing in the distance.  The island was owned by the Italian government for a time, but was later sold and abandoned by the owner in the 1960’s.  No one else attempted to live there, but one of the last families that tried to buy it left after the first night and refused to say what happened.  Today the island is abandoned and tourism is strictly forbidden by the Italian government.  The only people that go onto the island are those that harvest the vineyards.  Not even the fishermen will sail too close to the island for fear of catching human bones in their nets.

http://www.slightlywarped.com/crapfactory/awesomemysteries/islandofmadness.htm

http://www.travelchannel.com/shows/ghost-adventures/articles/poveglia-islands-haunted-history

Have you ever seen this photo online and wondered if it was real or photoshopped? Believe it or not, this tree actually exists on Earth, despite it looking like a sci-fi movie prop. You’ll only find it on the plateaus of Socotra where it is called the Dragon’s Blood tree. It earned its name from traders who thought its crimson sap was actually the blood of a dragon. It was used as dyes, varnishing and ‘magical’ medicine. Scientists believe it was probably used for medieval ritual magic and alchemy. Seems like a jackpot for all fiction writers!

Socotra is known as “another Galapagos” since its diverse flora and fauna counts up to 800 species, a third of which are endemic to only Socotra. It is located off of the coast of Yemen (near the middle east). In Sanskrit, it translates to “The Island of Bliss.”

This is the Socotran Fig tree which grows against limestone rock. Surprisingly, it doesn’t need any soil to grow. Not to be confused with the Desert Rose tree which looks quite similar. (Though I’ve probably mixed them up myself.) Most plants strive here even though the harsh climate is hot and dry.

Fun Fact! The famous horror author H.P. Lovecraft was rumored to have gotten some inspiration from Socotra’s mysteries, particularly for the Cthulhu myths.

Monsoon rains have carved through the abundant limestone to create these magnificent caves. The cave shown above is known as the Hoq Cave. Year round the cave is about 80 Fahrenheit with humidity reaching 95%. Yikes! Beauty does come with a price after all. The crystal stalagmites and stalactites create breath-taking chandelier-like decorations.

Here is a video I found of the flora and fauna of the land.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=371&v=wra5CAaoZe4

The Island of Palm Jumeirah is located off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Its construction began in 2001 ad its first residential dwellings were introduced in 2006. By 2007, over 500 families lived on the island. The island consists of 16 extensions from the core that is attached to the mainland and a 6.8 mile long circular barrier that surrounds all the stalks. It nearly doubled the previously 42 mile long coast line of Dubai.

There was many problems involved in the construction of the island. The finish date was pushed back many times and was finished two years later than when it was expected to. The beaks in the circle had to be created because the water inside became stagnant. This was a threat t the marine life inside the barrier but after the breaks were made, marine life flourished. There have also been claims that the island is slowly sinking. NASA claims it is sinking at 5mm (0.2in) a year and that rate is increasing. The company that lead the islands construction says that the claims by NASA can’t be trusted because their laser satellites only have ad accuracy window of 50mm (2in.).

http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/10-strange-islands.htm#page=1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Islands

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Palm+Islands+-+United+Arab+Emirates/@24.9923897,54.9883967,16573m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x3e5f14d60045b819:0xd9b8653e942019a9

*Spoiler Alert*

Many of us think of tropical islands as paradise–the perfect place to escape to and relax. Would you feel the same way if you were stranded? Zemeckis’ film, Castaway, suggests not. Released in 2000, Castaway tells the story of a punctual FedEx executive, Chuck, played by Tom Hanks, whose plane crash lands off the coast of an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Chuck becomes marooned and must adapt to survive on a would-be piece of paradise for almost four years alone.

The movie does an excellent job depicting a person’s development of vital survival skills and the physical and emotional effect isolation has. Chuck is stranded with nothing but the raft he floated ashore in, his clothes and the few FedEx packages that washed ashore with him–no food, no water, no shelter. Before he is left exposed to the elements, Chuck has to find a source of food, water and a way to build a shelter. As the days go by Chuck develops survival skills and learns how to split coconuts, build shelter and a raft and even starts a fire. Throughout his time on the island, more packages wash up, one of them holding a volleyball, named Wilson, who becomes Chuck’s only companion and gives him someone to talk to. This personification of Wilson shows humans’ deep-rooted need for social interaction. Finally, after four long years, Chuck is able to build a raft that successfully gets him passed the rough surf on the shore and he is found by a ship after a few days on the water.

Although Chuck is returned to his home, his time on the island had an impact on both his physical and emotional being. By the time he returned to land, he was ungroomed and emaciated, but that is easily fixed with a bath, haircut and a cheeseburger with large fries. His emotional wellbeing was damaged more deeply during his time on the island. Without any clocks, his sense of time became almost nonexistent and his isolation damaged his ability to interact with other humans. Additionally, he left his fiancée, who he returned to find married to another man, which made assimilating back into his old life even more painful.

It is amazing how circumstances determine a person’s outlook on a situation. Being stranded on an island became Chuck’s worst nightmare, while having alone time on a tropical island is many people’s dream. Additionally, is quite fascinating how quickly a person will adapt to survive.

Here is the official trailer for Castaway:

St Kilda is an archipelago of 4 small cliff-bound islands named Hirta, Soay, Dun, and Boreray. It was privately owned for many generations by the MacLeod family. There wasn’t much wildlife on the island besides the seabirds on top of the cliffs. The men of the town would have to climb the cliffs and catch the birds with their bare hands. These men were called fowlers. Over a short period of time, the fowlers feet began to adapt to their way of survival. Their ankles grew to be twice the size as normal ankles and their toes were set wide apart to help them climb. The people survived off of the meat and eggs provided by the birds. On average, each resident on the island ate 80 bird eggs in just one week. There was also puffin birds which were eaten much like a bag of chips; they were a snack. The introduction of rats and mice to the island however did threaten the populations of birds.

There also were Soay Sheep which were not used for there meat. their only purpose was to provide wool. It is believed that the sheep were brought to the island by Neolithic farmers or Norsemen some time during the bronze age around 3000 BC.  The population of the island was so small, no crime existed. There was no set leader and in the beginning of the day, the people would come together and decide what they would do that day. They natives were also very religious.

Visitors came to the island and showed the natives that there was a better life on the mainland. The native had never heard of things like fruit or rabbits because they didn’t exist on the island.

That caused them to leave and eventually there wasn’t enough people to survive. The island was completely evacuated in 1930. Without the people on the island, the house mouse died out but the field mouse doubled in size.

Today, the island is a nature reserve and a world heritage site. It is owned by the natural trust for Scotland. Mostly naturalist and historians visit the island to study the birds that live there. Travelers will go to the island because it is the best place for diving. The clear water and submerged tunnels caves and arches make it a very unique place.

Fun facts:

42 natives emigrated to Australia and named the now suburban city also named St Kilda and there is also a town of St Kilda in New Zealand.

St Kilda mailboat- a wooden container holding a note sealed in a cocoa tin attached o a inflated sheeps bladder so it would float mounted by a small red flag- method of communiation with the mainland.

In order to get married you had to go to the top of “lovers stone” and stand on your left foot. then put your right foot out in front, bed down and make a fist on top of your foot. This proved you were able to catch the seabirds and provie for your family. If you could not complete the task, you were not able to marry.

~Rachel and Emily

Have you ever wanted to discover a buried treasure for yourself? Well now you can, possibly, on Oak Island. It is located off the southern coast of Novia Scotia and is part of a large group of islands. (about 360) The island is very unassuming from just looking at it because its mostly just covered in trees and not much else but their is so much more to the story underneath the surface (literally)! What I am talking about is the “Money Pit” a hole in the ground that people claim contains lost treasure and such. The legends range from saying its a pirates treasure that was hidden there for safe keeping to it contains the jewels of Marie Antoinette or even William Shakespeare’s manuscripts that would prove that he didn’t write any of his plays. The pit has even attracted the attention of conspiracy theorist who say that the Knights Templar, yes the ones from the Middle Ages, sailed to the island and hid their treasure. This would mean that they discovered America before Columbus and didn’t tell ANYONE. Some people believe in these legends so much that a group was formed that bought the island in 1967. They even had a road put in that connects it to the main land just so they can explore this pit. Oak Island has also gained much attention outside of just treasure hunters and has appeared on both television news and books on various topics about the island. Lets all put our construction hats on and take a trip as a class and get rich quick.

Here is the link to the History Channel with videos on the topic of Oak Island and the Money Pit.

http://www.history.com/shows/the-curse-of-oak-island

Half Moon Island is a barren, remote island located inside the Artic Circle as part of the Svalbard Archipelago. In 1920, the Svalbard treaty recognizes Norwegian sovereignty and in 1925, the Svalbard act made the archipelago a full part of the Kingdom of Norway. Lovegrove describes the island as being, “the definition of desolation and soullessness,” in other words, the perfect vacation destination. Despite the island being located 500 miles from the pole, it is one of the easier artic islands to access, due to the warm water from the Gulf Stream. The archipelago has become a tourist destination during the perpetual light of the summer months. Many people travel by cruise ship to experience the artic landscape and rich wildlife. The Svalbard Archipelago is the northernmost settlement in the world with a permanent civilian population.

Wildlife on Half Moon Island  

Half Moon island, and the Svalbard Archipelago, is home to many artic flora and fauna, especially in the summer months, including:

• Polar Bears
• Walrus
• Arctic Foxes     
• Ringed Seal
• Artic flowers
• Svalbard poppies
• Breeding Sea Birds
  -Eider Ducks
  -Artic Skua
  -Long-tailed Skua
  -Red-throated Diver
• Reindeer
• Lichen

Human Effects

Although the island is a desolate one, there has been accounts and evidence of human settlement.

It is believed that the island was originally discovered by whalers. In the late 17th century, Russian hunters were regular visitors, followed by the Norwegians about one hundred years later. The Norwegians were the first to succeed in “over-wintering” in 1820.

Svalbard has been a popular location for hunting, fishing and whaling. Polar bears and arctic foxes have been hunted for their coats. The traps were designed to crush the animal by dropping weights so the coat did not get ruined. Remaining traps can still be found around the island. Additionally, walruses were hunted for their ivory tusks. Hunting continued into the late 20th century until it was declared a sanctuary in 1973. Hunting on the island greatly impacted the wildlife on Half Moon. A Norwegian hunter killed 117 bears in the winter of 1937-38 and Per Johnson took 165 over two winters in the 1970s.

In 1743, four Russian Walrus hunters were marooned on Half Moon island, after their ship was crushed by pack ice, killing their ten colleagues. They discovered and repaired an abandoned hut and survived six years in the harsh environment. During their time on the island, they killed over 250 reindeer and 10 polar bears, made spears out of driftwood and bows from roots of driftwood trees and polar bear tendons. Over six years, they ate only polar bear, reindeer and arctic fox and drinking reindeer blood. They fueled their fire with reindeer fat and looked for ships every summer. Finally in 1749 they saw a ship which rescued the remaining three men.

Peter and Vicky