Changes in Latitudes

It's dead quiet in Auckland this morning, and that is because it is ANZAC Day (Australia New Zealand Army Corps). Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand and is commemorated by both countries on April 25th to honor the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps ( ANZAC ) who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. It now more broadly commemorates all those who died and served in military operations for their countries. The holiday also represents Australia and New Zealand as allies. The red poppy is worn on this day, because after the battle, poppies grew over the field where the battle took place. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anzac_Day]

So just an update that I am alive. Just the same old, daily routine: breakfast, Skype, uni, gym, relax...and work on the weekend. It's scary to think that the semester is already half way done. The year flies by here! Fall is here and I can feel winter slowly setting in. Soon I will be finished with this semester and then I am off to Thailand to meet up with Marius half way. Will be awesome, and my inner Bio Nerd will come out. I heard about the Red Shirt protests two days after I bought my ticket and finalized my trip. But I think I'll be fine. So here I sit. In the computer lab on campus. It's 5:43PM and it's getting darker now. I keep finding myself lost in daydreams of home, Thailand, etc. Hopefully I'll have some more exciting news to report soon. Thai reggae: Job 2 Do: Do Do Do http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPeRw2aeRJ4&feature=related

I am on my mid-semester break from uni now. My first week was work and a four-day field trip to Kawhia for my Hydrology & Fluvial Geomorphology class. The first day was pouring rain, and what I thought was a good substitute for a rain jacket (my winter coat), turned out to be the opposite and I was soaked from head to toe the first day. When we got to our cabins I took a hot shower before we went to dinner. We all had to pay $80 for three nights of meals, so I was determined to get my money's worth and eat as much as I could. Each morning we were up, fed breakfast, and out in the field by 8AM to begin our full day of river research. My group had the second hardest reach of the catchment, but it wasn't that difficult at all. We ended up getting dropped off too far down so we didn't get up the river as far as we were supposed to. There was no trail along the river so we were constantly crossing the river and fighting our way through bush, cow/sheep faeces, and swamps. We ...

The UK government has created the world's largest marine reserve around the Chagos Islands. This is a major step towards conserving the 'planet ocean'. "The reserve would cover a 545,000-sq-km area around the Indian Ocean archipelago, regarded as one of the world's richest marine ecosystems." The reserve will include a "no-take" reserve where NOTHING leaves the reserve. All marine reserves in New Zealand are "no-take," however, this country is so small that it is not as big of an achievement as this massive reserve. The islands were cleared of it's inhabitants to make room for a military base, however, they are now wanting to return and are worried that this new reserve will restrict their way of life. This is all sad and such, however, I think that it is more important that we protect the ocean. The ocean is 70% of the planet and holds (and used to hold) a massive abundance of life that is vital for the world's food chains. Everyt...