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My thanks go out to Seth for cleaning
up the forum after the most recent hacking of Sushicam.
As always, Seth is here to save the day and get this
train back on track.
I have been updating he photo of the
day, but have been totally unaware of the problem, only
becoming aware of it when checking my email and finding
some messages from viewers.
Thanks Seth.
You are the man.
--
Last weekend I made an excursion to Kamakura to gather
some more light. Since spring is in the air (and I had
arrived early to beat the crowds) I decided to go to
the Daibutsu to see of anything was in bloom.
The day was cold. Quite a bit colder
than is normal for this time of year and the sky was
clear. No clouds as far as the eye could see.
The Daibutsu is an impressive site.
But it is a site best seen early in the day before the
throngs of tourists show up. (Unless you yourself are
one of the “throngers”) After you pay the
entrance fee (200 yen) you pass by a hand a mouth washing
fountain and wind a couple of curves and then there
it is, larger than life.
It really captures your eye and the
neutral backdrop of forested hills contains nothing
to distract the eye. I think this is one place in mainland
Japan where you can actually get a view that is not
obstructed by any overhead power lines. (Hopefully it
will stay that way, but I would not be surprised to
show up one day to discover a 7-11 or pachinko parlor
sign jutting up and obstructing an otherwise spectacular
view.)
The view is captivating enough that
you normally keep your gaze focused on the serene face
and gentle curves of the statue, but this time I took
a little more time to wander around.
As I said, I arrived early and was
wandering around looking for some good angles. Excpet
for a younger man chanting at the foot of the Daibutsu,
an older man pushing his mother (grandmother?) around
in a wheelchair and myself, the place was deserted.
As I was sitting on one of the large
foundation stones for the building that once held the
Daibusti (prior to Tsunamis sweeping it away hundreds
of years ago) I decided to shoot some film with the
Bronica ETRS 6x4.5 I had brought with me. I was using
a 50mm f2.8 lens on the Bronica (Which equates to about
a 24mm field of view on a 35mm camera) so I could best
capture the place. Wide angle lenses seem to be the
best for capturing scenes like that.
I shot a roll of 100 ISO Velvia color
slide film of the scene. As I was spooling the spent
roll for storage I noticed a few small flashes of motion
out of the corner of my eye. Tucking the now sealed
roll of film into my camera bag I looked to see what
it was that had caught my eye.
Big, fat lazy snowflakes, falling
from a clear blue sky.
Magical.
They were the kind of flakes that
drift down slowly in a sweeping side to side motion,
as if they were traveling through something a bit more
substantial than air.
The really strange part was that the
sky was clear, not a cloud in it.
This caused me to take a little more
notice, and since it was a cold day I wondered (hoped)
if there would be enough falling to actually accumulate.
I decided to stick around and see
if the snow would accumulate. Some shots of the daibutsu
shrowded in a cape of snow would be just awesome.
Because the snowstorm caused me to
slow down I was able to peel my eyes away from the daibutsu
and instead start focusing in more on the smaller details.
Anyone who has been there will remember
the large incense holder situated right in front of
the statue. It is a bronze orb sitting on a raised pedestal
with red paper wrapped sticks of incense burning inside.
As I was shooting a couple of pictures of the burning
incense the lazily falling snow once again caught my
eye and I followed one of the larger flakes down to
the ground.
It melted immediately upon contact
with the sun-warmed stones, but since I had looked down
in a place that usually demands that you look up, I
was able to notice something I had never seen before,
even though I have stood in that very same place countless
times before.
Ringing the base of the incense holder
are bronze casts of each of the 12 animals of the Zodiac.
--
The Wild Boar Honest and persevering,
the Boar is admired for his courage and fortitude. He
prefers harmony over conflict, and does not carry a
grudge. Boar years: 1911 1923 1935 1947 1959 1971 1983
1995 2007
The Dog A person born in this year
is honest, intelligent, and so loyal that the Dog is
said to be the most well-liked sign in the Zodiac. The
Dog will passionately chase after Justice, and among
his personality traits, cowardice is nowhere to be found.
For the Dog, honor and fair play make life worth living.
Dog years: 1910 1922 1934 1946 1958 1970 1982 1994 2006
The Rooster The Rooster person is
an outstanding performer. He carries himself with impeccable
dignity and self-assurance. He is neat and organized
to the point of being meticulous. Rooster years: 1909
1921 1933 1945 1957 1969 1981 1993 2005
The Monkey Those born under the sign
of the Monkey are said to be quick-witted and clever,
extremely intelligent and inventive. His cleverness
can sometimes be seen as cunning; he is competitive,
and successful in the pursuit of money or power. Self-confident
to a fault, he can be oblivious to others around him,
but he will still be admired by these people because
of his exuberant love of life. Monkey years: 1908 1920
1932 1944 1956 1968 1980 1992 2004
The Sheep (or Ram) The Chinese believe
that good fortune smiles on anyone born in the year
of the Sheep. They are said to be possessed of a peaceful
nature and a kind heart, and they are known for being
gentle and compassionate, perhaps to a fault. The Sheep
is a lucky sign, and as the 8th sign of the Zodiac,
represents continuing prosperity. Sheep years: 1907
1919 1931 1943 1955 1967 1979 1991 2003
The Horse Unpredictable, high-spirited,
and independent are the qualities that define the Horse.
A person born into this year has an adventurous spirit,
a sharp mind, and an ability to handle money. He can
also be extremely headstrong. Horse years: 1906 1918
1930 1942 1954 1966 1978 1990 2002
The Snake The Snake is the deepest
thinker of all the signs in the Zodiac. Going back to
biblical times, the Snake is said to hold the wisdom
of the ages, and Snake people are the beneficiaries
of this inborn wisdom. They can have mystic and psychic
tendencies, and the Snake is said to be a karmic sign,
with past actions dictating the success or failure in
this lifetime.
Intense and independent, a Snake person
will always rely on his own instincts, his own judgment,
over that of others. A Snake will always have enough
money for their needs. Snake years: 1905 1917 1929 1941
1953 1965 1977 1989 2001
The Dragon One of the most powerful signs in the Zodiac,
in China the sign of the Dragon also represents the
Emperor. It was believed that anyone viewing the entire
Dragon’s body would die, and for that reason in
both Chinese and Japanese Art, the Dragon is always
only partially portrayed; usually the head and claw,
with the rest of the body hidden by clouds.
The only magical and mythical sign
of the Zodiac, people born in the powerful year of the
Dragon are strong willed, and said to be led by destiny.
Dynamic and energetic, they can also be overzealous
and demanding. A dragon’s egotistical nature will
cause him to be at the center of everything. Dragon
years: 1904 1916 1928 1940 1952 1964 1976 1988 2000
The Rabbit The Rabbit is a beloved
favorite of the Japanese, well entrenched in myth and
culture. The rabbit is considered a symbol of longevity
and has a strong association with the Moon. (Where we
see a Man in the Moon, the Japanese see a Rabbit in
the Moon, pounding Mochi Rice Cakes!) The Rabbit is
soft spoken and gracious, kind and sensitive, graceful
and elegant. He is well liked by people, and generally
avoids conflict. Rabbit years: 1903 1915 1927 1939 1951
1963 1975 1987 1999
The Tiger Power and passion characterize
the Tiger’s personality. While sometimes rebellious
or impulsive, he is always exuberantly in love with
life. Tiger years: 1902 1914 1926 1938 1950 1962 1974
1986 1998
The Ox The Ox is the symbol of prosperity
through perseverance and hard work. The Ox person is
patient and dependable, extremely calm in all his undertakings.
While extremely reliable, they can also be extremely
stubborn. Ox Years: 1901 1913 1925 1937 1949 1961 1973
1985 1997
The Rat The Rat is forthright and
inquisitive, loves to acquire things, and good at making
money. Always level, always alert to all possibilities,
he has the ability to adapt to any situation or crisis,
and will always be successful at whatever he chooses
to do in life. The Rat may try to do too much, all the
time, and as a result overextend himself. Rat Years:
1900 1912 1924 1936 1948 1960 1972 1984 1996
(The source of the above zodiac information
is from the website Old
Japan)
—
In a departure from the normal Japan
focused discussions here I would like to make a brief
departure into the political/economic/environmental
realm.
The U.S. Senate (not to be confused
with just any old ordinary bunch of cronies) just aproved
(by a very slim 51-49 vote) oil drilling in the Alaskan
Arctic National Wildlife Preserve.
The driver seems to be the skyrocketing price of, and
U.S. demand for, crude oil.
The 600,000 hectare refuge is believed to hold 10.4
billion barrels of recoverable oil reserves. (Future
technology may be abe to tap additional, currently unrecoverable
reserves of about one to two times that amount)
This may sound like a lot, but based
on the daily U.S. oil consumption of 22 million barrels
a day, this equates to a 473 day supply of energy for
the United States.
Yes, you read that correctly.
They want to open up and likely seriosuly
damage a unique and pristine ecosystem that has been
stable for millenia for the paltry goal of feeding the
glutonous U.S. oil appetite for a measly 473 days.
And the real kicker is that it will
take an estimated 10 years to get to the point where
any new wells would be producing, at whcih time daily
U.S. oil consumption will liekly have increased considerably,
thus shortening the number of days this "band-aid"
solution positivly benefits.
As the Defenders
of Wildlife website so eloquantly puts it:
"We currently use 22 million
barrels of oil per day and produce about 5.5 million.
We get another 2-2.5 million from so-called natural
gas liquids. We get about another 1 million from processing
gain. So we are producing about 8-9 million barrels
of our own oil each day but need 22 million. ANWR
could, maybe, in 10 years, produce 1 million more. Of
course, our needs are increasing at a rate of around
1/2 million per day per year. So ANWR will take 10 years
to begin production sufficient to cover two years of
GROWTH, not including current defecits. Does that sound
like a good way to solve the problem to you?"
Here is another way to put it….If
someone was addicted to $2000 of heroin a month but
only had enough money for $900 worth, would giving them
an extra $100 a month in cash help them to solve their
problem?
Why is it that we (society) have to
be hit by the oncoming train before we step off the
tracks?
What the hell is going on here?!
The ANWR
website even states the following:
“Discovery of the gigantic Prudhoe Bay oilfield
was announced in July 1968, the largest deposit ever
found in North America. (Environmentalists called it
a “few months’ supply.”) Nine years,
7.7 billion dollars, and 1,347 government permits later,
Americans cheered as oil began flowing through the 800-mile
Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. Since July 1977, the pipeline
has carried more than 13 billion barrels of oil from
Alaska’s North Slope. ”
13 billion barrels, while 20% of the
United States domestice production over that time periods
is still only less than a two year supply compared to
annual U.S. consumption rates (Which continue to increase
over time).
If the oil companies are allowed to
drill in the refuge, they would destroy Americas finest
remaining wildlife habitat for an extremely short-term
gain at best. Just a one-mile-per-gallon improvement
in the efficiency of our automobiles would save half-a-million
barrels of oil a day, forever. That's more than we can
ever hope to extract from the Arctic refuge.
I am not one to get up on a soap box very often, but
this is absolute insanity.
This is one of the most short sighted
innitiatives I have ever seen. Think about this: It
take longer to install the infrastructure to extract
the oil than it will take to consume it.
We (and I use the term collectively
in the sense of nations that consme large quantities
of fossil fuels, the U.S. being the biggest offender)
need to wean ourselves off of oil as soon as possible.
the supply will not last forever and the longer we keep
our head stuck in the sand the harder it will be when
the tap finally does run dry. I have no problem with
using natural reources, let's just prepare for the future
and not paint ourselve sinto a corner by following unsustainable
practices.
--
Where will we be once we have destroyed
all that is natural and wild in this world?
A planet given over to the destructive assimilation
of a borg-like race is not a place that I would want
to be.
I would not want to live in a world
where I was on the top rung of the food chain. It just
isn’t right. I LIKE the fact that there
are places I can go where I am considered part of
the food chain.
Having had more than a couple close scrapes with large
omnivors in Alaska, I know what I am talking about.
There is nothing more invigorating to the soul (albeit
hard on your underpants) than narrowly escaping from
becoming the lunch of a large omnivourous mammal. I
still remember the charge I felt. It really makes you
appreiate being alive when you come close to the alternative.
Granted I have yet to have a similar
experience here in Japan, although I keep hoping. (The
rats in Shibuya can get pretty big after all…)
I think we need to take a long
hard look at what we as a species consider “progress”.
Comment 36
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