by Lyn Lomasi & Richard Rowell, Write W.A.V.E. Media

It happened to be a free day at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, so we decided to take Aja and Amber there since we had the time. Amber hadn't been there in something like ten years, and it was the first field trip we have been able to take Aja to in awhile. While most of the special exhibits happened to be paid ones on this particular day, we were still able to see all of the free stuff.

To chronicle our time there, Richard took several videos that document most of the major sections that we were able to visit.

This video is actually at the beginning when the guy in the walking dinosaur was out greeting people. It actually freaked out a few little kids, of which there were many on this day.

Next, we visited one of the smaller first-floor exhibits which featured the life cycle of butterflies.

Here, we visited Space Odyssey at the Coors Visitor Center to the Universe. There were many interactive displays here, and we would have liked to spend more time here. However, we were trying to see everything in a limited span of time, so we only spent a few minutes here.

Outside of the Coors Hall of Gems and Minerals, there were a few service puppies on display! One of them looked a lot like our Shih-Tzu Bo-Bo! He/she did have a white patch on his head and is smaller than Bo-Bo, but the coloring was almost the same!

We decided to take the elevator to the third floor and work our way back down to the Gems and Minerals exhibit later. On the third floor, we first visited the Egyptian Mummies exhibit on the third floor, one of the older ones at the museum. Rich got a little carried away with the mummy silliness, but it’s a fun little experience.

The next three videos are from the Wildlife Halls on the third floor. There are more Wildlife Hall exhibits on the second floor, but these three videos covered enough of the experience.

Next was the Prehistoric Journey exhibit. There are two videos there. The first video is the exhibits at the entrance. Some of it was a bit too dark to film which is why the first clip is so short.

The second video features the large dinosaur models built to scale, which are pretty awesome to see.

The North American Indian Cultures exhibit (should be Native American Cultures, honestly) is one that we had missed on a previous trip since it’s located behind the Wildlife Halls on the second floor. It’s pretty cool. Rich learned about the Utes, and he thinks he knows how to say it properly now. Since Lyn and the kids have Native American ancestry (Rich does have a tiny bit, as well), this was a particularly interesting exhibit.

This video of the Navajo Hogan dwelling is a bit dark, but we wanted to share it anyway because it was cool.

The final video is of the Coors Hall of Gems and Minerals, our final stop on our tour around the museum. It’s a pretty short video because it’s both dark and a bit awkward to film in close quarters. So here’s just a glimpse.

We were able to see pretty much everything in the course of about an hour and a half or so. There were a couple of exhibits that we missed, including Expedition Health which actually did not require a ticket although we thought it did. They had people waiting outside because there are certain items that they don’t want brought in there. We’ll have to check this out on a future visit. We could have spent more time in individual exhibits, but we only had a limited amount of time to see everything, as was mentioned earlier. The other exhibits all required tickets, which would have added up quickly.

Here are some of the photos we took as well. Click the photos to see the full view, as well as to enlarge them. 
(There's more to the story after the gallery)

All in all, this is one of the best museums to visit on a free day. So if you happen to be in the Denver area for whatever reason, see if they are having an SCFD free day. It’s quite conveniently located and while parking is often full, you can always park nearby at the zoo, which is right next door.

All Images © Lyn Lomasi; All Rights Reserved
All Videos © Richard Rowell; All Rights Reserved

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Every time I see someone share another fighting video online, all I can think is why? Why is it entertaining to watch people hurt each other? It’s one thing to stick up for someone who is standing up for their rights or yours. It’s quite another to get entertainment value out of people beating each other up.

Why is it Entertainment to Hurt People?

Perhaps I’m different. But my goal has always been to spread love, not hate. Being entertained by people hurting each other only teaches more and more people that it’s okay to solve their problems with violence – and even that it’s fun. How sad is it that this is acceptable by so many people?

Not only is there boxing and other sports where people get paid to beat each other up, but there are more and more people sharing street fights as well. Oftentimes, it is kids in these videos and adults enjoying watching them. At least the subjects of the boxing (and other professional sports) get paid for it and are willing participants.

The street fights sadden me the most because it’s usually people who are actually fighting and intentionally hurting each other. Be it in self defense, arguments, or other reasons, why do people feel it is okay to not only expose these peoples’ business, but to get entertainment from it? Why is this considered “cool” or fun?

When is Fighting Okay?

The only “fights” that I feel should be spread are those where people are standing up for someone’s rights. For instance, talk about the people who have made a difference in our country, such as Martin Luther King, Jr and Malala Yousafzai. Talk about everyday people who go out of their way to help others in need or to stand up and fight for someone’s rights. Talk about the people who die or get injured fighting to protect their countries.

That’s the type of fighting that is noteworthy. It’s not a compliment or an attractive trait to beat someone up for no reason or for frivolous reasons. It’s one thing to defend yourself when attacked when you have no other choice. It’s quite another to hurt someone without cause or due to frivolous reasons – or to view and share such acts as entertainment.

I’m not a perfect person by any means (I know I make mistakes – plenty of them), but I do try to perpetuate love in all situations, while also standing up and “fighting” when it’s warranted.

How I Fought For What Was Right

For instance, one day, the city bus I was riding broke down and I had one of my kids and two others (who had just run a 5K marathon) along for the ride. The children indicated they needed to use the restroom and the bus driver wasn’t going to let us (or anyone else) get off the bus. He was also extremely rude about it, after hearing the kids’ needs. The kids were full of water and Gatorade, since they had just run a race that was over 3 miles long. My mama bear instinct kicked in at that point.

I simply walked up to the front of the bus with the kids in tow and said to the driver “My kids need to pee. I’m getting off,” and we did. That’s an example of fighting for what’s right. It also led to a few others sticking up for themselves and either getting off to go seek another form of transportation or doing whatever else they needed to do.

The wait was going to be about an hour for the next bus and then the kids would have also had to wait the ride on that bus before using the restroom, had I taken the driver’s instructions. I did what I knew was the right thing to do for the kids. That’s an example of fighting that is warranted.

Am I a hero? I doubt it. Many other parents do exactly what I did on a regular basis. I’m not telling our story for recognition. I don’t care whether anyone spreads our little bus ride story or not. What I do hope is that people read this and think twice before getting entertainment out of people hurting each other.

Fight for what’s right, not for entertainment.


*Photo Credit: Lyn Lomasi

**I originally published this on Bubblews.com (no longer published there).