Do You Know Where Tasmania is?
I didn’t know either until my Asheville potter son Josh, who just got back from a multi-country trip to Europe presenting at woodfiring conferences, told me he was invited to go there next year to work with a potter and be a presenter at the next year’s conference, to be held in Tasmania.
“Are there vampires there? Devils?” I asked.
He was appalled, but I was vindicated when the first two people I asked didn’t know where Tasmania was either.
The challenge was on. Josh is his mother’s son. “Let’s do a survey, he said.
In town over the weekend to meet his newborn nephew, Josh gave me the results of his survey, taken from the answers of 26 people who stopped by his Clayspace Gallery, and 74 people at the Wedge Brewery where he tends bar.
But before I heard the survey results, Josh shared some surprising Tasmania facts that he learned while conducting his research: Tasmania is the largest island mass in which the indigenous population has been completely annihilated by white colonialism. Tasmanian devils, wild carnivorous marsupials found only on Tasmania, are in danger of becoming extinct because of a contagious face eating cancer. Map-a-tassie is slang for a woman’s pubic area because it resembles the shape of Tasmania island.
Back to the survey, posted on Facebook by Josh: The results of this weekend poll are in. Of the 100 people who answered my two question survey I discovered that 59% of people polled are aware of the geographical location of Tasmania, but 95% of people are familiar with the Warner Bros cartoon character the Tasmanian Devil (also commonly know as Taz).
Since I never got past asking a total of two people (because I live out in the country and barely go anywhere), I’m thinking this blog entry could serve as my part of the research. So post your honest answers as a comment if you feel so inclined.
October 11th, 2010 11:31 pm
I think it is an island off of the coast of Australia. Those Tazmanian Devils are really wicked fighters I have heard…
October 12th, 2010 3:36 am
australian island. a great trip for him – he must be very excited!
October 12th, 2010 7:47 am
I have no idea!!?? I am terrible geographically!! Please enlighten me to where it is.
PS I love the picture of Josh at the start of this blog entry. It reminds me of the commercial…..”I kicked the habit” And we would attempt to see if we could jump the highest. xox
October 12th, 2010 8:13 am
I do know about Tasmania because I have always wanted to go there!
October 12th, 2010 9:49 am
That’s Josh’s new/old diesel ram truck. He’s very proud of it.
Tasmania is an island state off the coast of Australia.
October 12th, 2010 2:51 pm
I have a vague idea of where it is but finding it on a map, without finding my atlas to test, I’d bet it would take a bit of hunting for me to find it.
October 12th, 2010 4:54 pm
I know, I know! I read the “English Passengers” by Matthew Kneale several years ago, in which “we” traveled to Tasmania aboard a sailing ship in the early 1800s. The book’s cover shows quite vividly (and memorably) that Tasmania is part of “the land down under,” as you can see here:
http://www.amazon.com/English-Passengers-Novel-Matthew-Kneale/dp/0385497431/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0
October 12th, 2010 9:40 pm
I live in Australian so, yes, I know where Tasmania is. It is our island state.
When I was in the UK I heard a quiz on the radio. “What language do they speak in Tasmania?” The contestant’s reply ‘Urdu?’. So there are lots of people out there who know nothing about Tassie!
October 12th, 2010 9:45 pm
Well I first was thinking Afarica but then I thought must be Aurtraila or New Zealand. I think I knew at one time for sure until I caught that contagious face eating cancer which ate into my memory 🙂 Really it’s pretty sad that the devils are in danger of going extinct.
October 14th, 2010 10:40 am
Yes, I know where Tasmania is. It always astonishes me when I read surveys about how so few Americans are able to locate the countries of the world – even when supplied with maps that have blanks for the names of the countries. I do get a bit fuzzy when asked about the countries on the continent of Africa (there are so many countries there!), but I’m pretty good with the rest of the world, even Central and South America.
October 15th, 2010 7:16 pm
Yes, I know where Tasmania is. I travel a lot and read a lot of travel literature. In a six week period I once read one book by a Tasmanian who hated the place and had left forever and another book, full of fascinating history, making it sound like a great place to visit, but not necessarily a good place to settle. I’ve like to visit.
May 2nd, 2011 4:25 pm
[…] My Asheville potter son Josh, the newest member of Sixteen Hands is the only member on the tour who doesn’t have a working studio to show out of, but he grew up here and his childhood home, transformed into a gallery, stood in for a studio. My husband Joe and I tried our best to stand in for Josh, who happens to be at wood firing conference in Australia. […]
May 17th, 2011 3:23 pm
[…] Asheville Potter Son Josh is home from Tasmania, Australia […]
May 2nd, 2012 6:45 pm
[…] Taken from my son Josh’s Facebook page. That’s him in the drivers seat. Today he is headed this way from Asheville for the 16 Hands Art Studio Tour with one of the stops at my house. I’m pretty sure he’ll be driving THIS. […]
May 6th, 2012 12:40 am
[…] 16 Hands Studio Tour and his work was very popular. He was a great help because Josh was in Tasmania and I was standing in for him and selling his pots with Joey’s help. Joey , who also lives in […]