Comments on: Las Vegas’ Truly Terrible Dinosaurs

By: Amy Green

Amy Green — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 03:01:46 +0000

Good evening, Mr. Switek. I first heard about your blog posting entitled “Las Vegas’ Truly Terrible Dinosaurs” in the Las Vegas Weekly. The author here http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2012/apr/04/open-letter-smithsonian-blogger-who-trashed-our-na/ responds to your blog and I would like to briefly do so in kind. I don’t deny that the museum may not be state of the art, or spectacularly impressive. What does offend me is a line like this: “To judge by the billboards along Interstate 15 approaching town, slot machines, strip clubs and performances by has-been comedians is what the town is all about.” That is the Las Vegas marketed toward tourists. I assume that you were here as a tourist and thus got that angle of Vegas. You apparently had little desire to see life here as it is lived everyday – or even to consider who might have been in the museum that day and why. Arguably, there were probably few tourists, as there aren’t any strippers or has-been comedians on exhibit. Whether it is a good decision or not, Las Vegas has built an economy on tourism and that is not the subject of my complaint here.

I am an educator – I have worked in higher education since 2004 and as such, I have educated hundreds of students from here and from all over the world, some more and some less prepared for college. I have seen them struggle, I have seen them lose jobs, lose homes, and have to move mid-semester because of a foreclosure. These are the people you denigrate when you imply that Vegas is a trashy town. Unfortunately, it isn’t just you – many writers and armchair commentators speak in equally disparaging terms.

I want you to understand that living, breathing men and women from all walks of life live here, from the successful to the destitute. We have experienced the financial collapse of our whole economy (Las Vegas isn’t the only city down here – Henderson and Boulder City, in close proximity to what you would likely deem “Vegas” suffered as well) and many of us remained here to shore up what was left.

I hope that you will consider the comments that are posted after your piece – you hurt many hard working men and women with your reckless words and insults.
Dr. Amy M. Green
English Department
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
4505 Maryland Parkway, Mailstop 5011
Las Vegas, Nevada 89154
greena@unlv.nevada.edu

By: Alexa

Alexa — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:18:10 +0000

An open letter to the Smithsonian blogger who trashed our Natural History Museum

http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2012/apr/04/open-letter-smithsonian-blogger-who-trashed-our-na/

By: Mike Huggins

Mike Huggins — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 21:48:38 +0000

Well, maybe the LVNHM should “man-up” and take criticism constructively, and for what Brian’s criticisms are actually about – technical accuracy, not LVNHM’s “generosity” or “sense of place” or efforts for “at risk students,” all fine goals. I mean, is it a Natural History Museum or is it something else?

By: Jennifer Fox

Jennifer Fox — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:44:51 +0000

Hear, hear, Josh!

By: Josh Bonde

Josh Bonde — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 21:23:49 +0000

A blog like this just goes to show how someone without any sort of background information can pick on a regional institution which has enriched the lives of tens of thousands of children in an urban environment. Mr. Switek takes aim at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, a target seemingly deserving of such scorn as to ridicule the exhibits and to lament the particulars of the lighting of some displays. Perhaps if Mr. Switek were in the know, he would know that this gem of downtown Las Vegas serves over 50,000 students in the Las Vegas metro area every year, most of which do not pay entrance fee’s as a result of being from “at risk” schools. Perhaps if Mr. Switek had delved deeper he would know that the Las Vegas Natural History Museum is the only purely natural history museum in the state of Nevada and that the museum is run purely off of the generosity of the community, a community hardest hit in the nation by the unfortunate economic circumstances of the times. Indeed there are marine live exhibits, believe it or not but many inner city children (and adults) aren’t afforded the opportunity to travel the country to nit pick museums and thus may be the only opportunity a child has to see a living shark.

The Las Vegas Natural History Museum does in fact have large plans in store for the future, such as an expansion of collections, displays and such. This museum services nearly 100,000 citizens of the Las Vegas metro area every year and visitorship continues to grow. It is short sighted and small minded to put down an institution which gives so much to its community, a sense of place in the world for some who know nothing more than the asphalt between their home and school. As for the outdated dinosaur animatronics…I have to admit, it was similar displays which my parents took me to at the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkley, California over 20 years ago which set my path to becoming a paleontologist. Rather than ridiculing a Smithsonian affiliate museum we should be reaching out and lifting these local institutions in every community which have hard working paid and volunteer staff working their butts off for the betterment of our society. Instead of poo pooing an institution for what you perceive as short comings I challenge anyone who bothers to read this reply to go to your local museum (county, natural history, children’s, etc.) and enjoy it.

For full disclosure I am a recent addition to the Board of Directors of the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, however my above comments are purely my own opinion and not those of the LVNHM. I have worked at and with a number of museums, it is a hard business between finances and the ability to give a quality product; something Mr. Switek clearly does not appreciate. Rather than pointing and laughing at Las Vegas’ truly terrible dinosaurs perhaps we should be shaking our heads disappointingly at Mr. Switek for his hurtful comments toward a truly generous institution.

By: Christina

Christina — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:55:45 +0000

That Deinonychus is certainly starting this gray, rainy day right for me. What with that big smile, it’s totally a dino in drag!

By: drtachyon

drtachyon — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 22:40:27 +0000

You’ve never been to the Fernbank Museum in Atlanta. The Walk Through Time in Georgia exhibit is laughable; pot bellied T-rex and all. Surprisingly shoddy considering it opened in the mid-90′s. The rest of the museum and building are rather nice.

By: Tim Koenig

Tim Koenig — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 17:07:42 +0000

Oh come on…cut them a little slack. If you want to see dinosaurs in Las Vegas, think Wayne Newton or contemporaries.

As for poor Deinonychus, if you spend any time with a flock of chickens, you’ll recognize a really baaad moulting season complicated by a horrible case of feather mites. I’m sorry, but I can’t explain the tail feathers on top of his head.

By: BJ Nicholls

BJ Nicholls — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 16:32:23 +0000

Semi non-random Deinonychus tar and feathering. Yet another reason to fear and loathe Las Vegas.

By: Andy Farke

Andy Farke — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:25:21 +0000

An important distinction is that the Las Vegas Natural History Museum is _not_ the same as the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, which I understand actually has some very nice, scientifically grounded exhibits. One major difference between the two is that the LVNHM does not have bona fide curators or collections staff as near as I can tell from their website (or apparently even a major collection outside of the exhibits), whereas the NSM does. Judging by the LVNHM annual report, they have big plans that should professionalize things, but that will take time!

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:36:19 +0000

Oh god, that Deinonychus looks like an elementary school arts and crafts project that got caught in a few rainstorms.