Hi all… it’s been a while, yes, I know, and a big update is coming. I just saw something on the SNN6 — the local news channel — that shook me out of my blog doldrums…
Local Sarasota science museum G.Wiz will be exhibiting one of the body-plastination exhibits called “Bodies Revealed”. Here’s the press release; the exhibit is sponsoring the SNN’s weather forecast so it is being promoted heavily.
I would just like to ask that you do not go to see this exhibit; it is being put on by the same company, Premier Exhibitions, Inc, that ran the “BODIES: The Exhibition” exhibit that ran in Tampa last year.
Put simply, the Chinese government, which provided the bodies, does not have proper death certificates for the individuals, or permission from the families to have the bodies on the display. I think it is reprehensible that Premier Exhibitions would accept such bodies, and it is unfortunate that G.Wiz would accept the exhibition, because otherwise I enjoy their facility and would recommend it.
You can read more about the criticism at the “BODIES… The Exhibition” wikipedia entry.
Please note that I am not against body plastination, which I think is interesting, if a little morbid. If you want to see such an exhibit, I would recommend Gunther von Hagens Body Worlds, which is unaffiliated with Premier Exhibitions, and for which the proper permissions have been obtained.
That’s all for now… thanks for staying with me.