POST # 92
Exactly two years ago today, The Thoughtful Wanderer began. At that time I was in Lake Oswego Oregon caring for a cat named Jill. Since then, I have travelled far and wide and during that time I have had the pleasure to take care of plenty of wonderful animals, and in addition to that I have met some very interesting people as well.
The journey continues. Yesterday I came across an article that I found difficult to read due to its content. As someone who has had the opportunity to spend time out in the open ocean, reading this article made me very sad indeed. I've included the link for anyone who wishes to read it.
http://www.theherald.com.au/story/1848433/the-ocean-is-broken/?cs=12
The title of the article is "The Ocean Is Broken" and I think it is well worth the time to read.
Surrounded as I currently am by the same ocean mentioned in the above article, it feels like being in an oasis in the desert. Even the vastness of the Pacific is no match it seems for industrial civilization. And yet, the industrial machine continues to grind on and on. At some point, this civilization will come to an end as all do, however I wonder how much of our living planet will be left at that point.
And we call ourselves the wise ape. I'm not so sure about that any longer.
Happy Trails
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
THOUGHTFUL: showing consideration for others; occupied with or given to thought; contemplative; meditative. WANDERER: moving from place to place without a fixed plan; or having no permanent residence; nomadic.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Monday, October 14, 2013
FUKUSHIMA UPDATE
POST # 91
Try as I might, to get the subject of Fukushima off my mind these days, so far at least, I have been unsuccessful at this task.
The latest update has a few added twists. Up until just recently it was reported that beginning next month, TEPCO would begin the process of moving the highly radioactive fuel rods from the cooling pool which is perched precariously atop Reactor #4. As I have mentioned in a previous blog, this has never been attempted before, and due to the damage sustained during the initial accident, the task is fraught with uncertainties. But now it is being reported that the company may just decide to put this job into the too hard basket, leave the fuel rods where they now are, and hope for the best.
Japan is a land that is subject to numerous earthquakes, so the odds of another one happening are very high and it appears that it won't take much of a shake to bring the whole cooling pool crashing to the ground. To put it bluntly, this would be catastrophic. As I write this entry, Tropical Cyclone Wipha is currently tracking towards Fukushima with an anticipated arrival date in two days.
A spokesperson from the nuclear industry has recently stated that if even just one of the many hundreds of fuel rods was to ignite, the amount of radiation it could release would be enough to kill almost 2.9 billion people in a matter of a few weeks. So one would think with such a serious situation at hand, that experts from around the world would find it in their best interest to help out, however as time passes, it looks like Japan is on it's own. So much for helping a neighbor in need.
What can I personally do? Well, aside from writing this blog and talking to people, I'm not really sure what else I can do. Besides, this is information that most would like to pretend doesn't really exist.
Perhaps in the not too distant future, we are all going to learn what is REALLY important in our lives. That is a good thing.
A kiss, a touch of a hand, fresh air to breath, a warm sunny day, and all the other simple pleasures that make a life worth living.
That's enough for today.
Happy Trails
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
Try as I might, to get the subject of Fukushima off my mind these days, so far at least, I have been unsuccessful at this task.
The latest update has a few added twists. Up until just recently it was reported that beginning next month, TEPCO would begin the process of moving the highly radioactive fuel rods from the cooling pool which is perched precariously atop Reactor #4. As I have mentioned in a previous blog, this has never been attempted before, and due to the damage sustained during the initial accident, the task is fraught with uncertainties. But now it is being reported that the company may just decide to put this job into the too hard basket, leave the fuel rods where they now are, and hope for the best.
Japan is a land that is subject to numerous earthquakes, so the odds of another one happening are very high and it appears that it won't take much of a shake to bring the whole cooling pool crashing to the ground. To put it bluntly, this would be catastrophic. As I write this entry, Tropical Cyclone Wipha is currently tracking towards Fukushima with an anticipated arrival date in two days.
A spokesperson from the nuclear industry has recently stated that if even just one of the many hundreds of fuel rods was to ignite, the amount of radiation it could release would be enough to kill almost 2.9 billion people in a matter of a few weeks. So one would think with such a serious situation at hand, that experts from around the world would find it in their best interest to help out, however as time passes, it looks like Japan is on it's own. So much for helping a neighbor in need.
What can I personally do? Well, aside from writing this blog and talking to people, I'm not really sure what else I can do. Besides, this is information that most would like to pretend doesn't really exist.
Perhaps in the not too distant future, we are all going to learn what is REALLY important in our lives. That is a good thing.
A kiss, a touch of a hand, fresh air to breath, a warm sunny day, and all the other simple pleasures that make a life worth living.
That's enough for today.
Happy Trails
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
Monday, October 7, 2013
PRIORITIES
POST # 90
Cost of US military budget- $530 Billion
Cost of Iraq and Afghanistan wars- $4-6 Trillion
Listening to Coqui frogs at night- PRICELESS!
For everything else ( or so it seems) there is:
NO MONEY
Happy trails
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
Cost of US military budget- $530 Billion
Cost of Iraq and Afghanistan wars- $4-6 Trillion
Listening to Coqui frogs at night- PRICELESS!
For everything else ( or so it seems) there is:
NO MONEY
Happy trails
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
Saturday, September 28, 2013
UMI KUMALUA
POST # 89
Upon arrival in Hawaii one tends to notice a similarity to the words used. After some quick research I discovered that there are only twelve letters used in total. The seven consonants, p,k,h,l,m,n and w, and the five vowels, a,e,i,o and u.
The title of today's blog is the Hawaiian word for twelve.
Tropical fruit, geckos, and coqui frogs, as well as warm breezes and peace and tranquility are my impressions so far.
I am thankful for small joys these days.
Mahalo nui
Happy trails
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
http://youtu.be/mlCiDEXuxxA
Upon arrival in Hawaii one tends to notice a similarity to the words used. After some quick research I discovered that there are only twelve letters used in total. The seven consonants, p,k,h,l,m,n and w, and the five vowels, a,e,i,o and u.
The title of today's blog is the Hawaiian word for twelve.
Tropical fruit, geckos, and coqui frogs, as well as warm breezes and peace and tranquility are my impressions so far.
I am thankful for small joys these days.
Mahalo nui
Happy trails
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
http://youtu.be/mlCiDEXuxxA
Saturday, September 21, 2013
DO YOU REMEMBER ?
POST # 88
The opening line in the embedded video is "Do you remember, the 21st night of September?"
My memory of this coming night, will be one of hanging out at Vancouver international airport in preparation for my upcoming journey, tomorrow morning early, to the big island of Hawaii. It will be an all day affair, traveling first to Denver, then Honolulu and finally Kona on the big island.
And as the sun sets on September 21st, it will mark the end of the summer season for 2013 as the first day of Autumn begins tomorrow. The way things are shaping up around the world, it looks like it will be an Autumn to remember for sure. Fukushima comes to mind. In spite of the lack of reporting on that topic, the ongoing disaster there continues to unfold. Perhaps I can re-visit that topic again in late December as the season changes once more.
My thoughts right now are wandering off in a multitude of directions, and so instead of trying to concentrate on extending the words in this latest entry, I think I'll just leave it short and sweet. Meanwhile, The Thoughtful Wanderer will allow his thoughts to continue wandering wherever they may go.
Enjoy Earth, Wind and Fire. Thankfully for now at least, we still have music.
Happy trails,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
Saturday, September 14, 2013
YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING
POST # 87
Earlier this week, I believe it was Monday, news came to the world that Tokyo has been chosen as the venue for the 2020 Olympic games. These days, I don't have any interest in the Olympics, and the only reason I mention them is because of the location.
Couple this with the fact that Japan has suffered the worst nuclear meltdown in history, with quite a few knowledgable people suggesting that at some point in the future, Tokyo may have to be evacuated. Now of course you won't get this in the mainstream media, but the information is out there for anyone willing to take the time to look.
Of course, by choosing Tokyo, it helps to give the appearance at least on the surface that everything in Japan is A-OK and nothing could be further from the truth. Conditions at Fukushima continue to deteriorate, and so far at least it seems that no one has a handle on coming up with a fix for this mess.
I can imagine that the talking heads in the press will continue to gloss over the nuclear situation in favour of promotion of the 2020 Olympics until possibly a time may come when an evacuation is necessary. How will they spin the story then? How about this? We need to move all these people in order to make room for a large Olympic village and for all of the people who want to visit Tokyo. Absurd as that sounds, it wouldn't surprise me at all.
We now live in a world where there seems to be two realities, the one in which all is well, business as usual, and everyone lives happily ever after, and the other where things aren't quite as good as they seem on the surface. I can understand how humans would want to believe in the former view, however by doing so we have neglected to "look under the carpet" as it were and find some of the nasty things hidden there. Perhaps if we would have done some looking way back when, we might not have found ourselves in this situation in the first place. But it's much too late for that now.
I will watch with interest how this story unfolds, both stories that is. My guess is that the "official" good news story will continue to dominate the airwaves, at least until we perhaps see scores of individuals booking one-way flights to anywhere away from Japan. That hasn't happened yet, and it may not happen at all, but if it does, the talking heads will have to be extremely creative in crafting a story line that the public will accept.
_________________________________________________________________
AND IN OTHER NEWS CLOSER TO HOME
So my final days are winding down here on Vancouver island and by early next week I'll be back on the mainland for at least a while. The time here has been very relaxed and peaceful, and somehow I even managed to co-exist with two teenage boys. It's a big house and we seem to have been able to do our own thing with no conflict, so I am happy about that.
Perhaps in the future I can add teenage boys to my list of "pets" however if the truth be known, I sill prefer the four legged kind.
Happy trails
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
Earlier this week, I believe it was Monday, news came to the world that Tokyo has been chosen as the venue for the 2020 Olympic games. These days, I don't have any interest in the Olympics, and the only reason I mention them is because of the location.
Couple this with the fact that Japan has suffered the worst nuclear meltdown in history, with quite a few knowledgable people suggesting that at some point in the future, Tokyo may have to be evacuated. Now of course you won't get this in the mainstream media, but the information is out there for anyone willing to take the time to look.
Of course, by choosing Tokyo, it helps to give the appearance at least on the surface that everything in Japan is A-OK and nothing could be further from the truth. Conditions at Fukushima continue to deteriorate, and so far at least it seems that no one has a handle on coming up with a fix for this mess.
I can imagine that the talking heads in the press will continue to gloss over the nuclear situation in favour of promotion of the 2020 Olympics until possibly a time may come when an evacuation is necessary. How will they spin the story then? How about this? We need to move all these people in order to make room for a large Olympic village and for all of the people who want to visit Tokyo. Absurd as that sounds, it wouldn't surprise me at all.
We now live in a world where there seems to be two realities, the one in which all is well, business as usual, and everyone lives happily ever after, and the other where things aren't quite as good as they seem on the surface. I can understand how humans would want to believe in the former view, however by doing so we have neglected to "look under the carpet" as it were and find some of the nasty things hidden there. Perhaps if we would have done some looking way back when, we might not have found ourselves in this situation in the first place. But it's much too late for that now.
I will watch with interest how this story unfolds, both stories that is. My guess is that the "official" good news story will continue to dominate the airwaves, at least until we perhaps see scores of individuals booking one-way flights to anywhere away from Japan. That hasn't happened yet, and it may not happen at all, but if it does, the talking heads will have to be extremely creative in crafting a story line that the public will accept.
_________________________________________________________________
AND IN OTHER NEWS CLOSER TO HOME
So my final days are winding down here on Vancouver island and by early next week I'll be back on the mainland for at least a while. The time here has been very relaxed and peaceful, and somehow I even managed to co-exist with two teenage boys. It's a big house and we seem to have been able to do our own thing with no conflict, so I am happy about that.
Perhaps in the future I can add teenage boys to my list of "pets" however if the truth be known, I sill prefer the four legged kind.
Happy trails
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
Saturday, September 7, 2013
LAMI BON AMI, THE CAT FROM OZ AND THE WANDERING FURBALL
POST # 86
Now, I have come to know plenty of dogs in all my travels, however the dog here called Lami has certainly become a good friend (bon ami) since my arrival last month. I could call her "glue" dog or "24hr" dog and both titles would suite just as well. She is constantly by my side and she has been a wonderful companion. I can see now why the owner thinks so highly of Lami. I will certainly miss her company when I leave here later this month.
The cat from Oz which goes by the name of Polly is somewhat like Lami in the fact that she is usually in the same vacinity as I am. This goes for bedtime as well, and even though I sleep in a very large bed, Polly snuggles up to my right side, and Lami on the left, so that I am the human "meat" in the pet sandwich. It took a couple of nights to get used to this but we all seem to have found our spots and the night passes uneventfully.
The third member of the four legged tribe is Peugeot the cat. Peugeot could also be called Wanderer or MIA cat as he pops in every now and again. I'm not quite sure where he gets to and sometimes he's gone for a day or two, and then, poof, he appears and the bed becomes even more crowded than before.
Together, they make an interesting group of critters, and it's been a joy to get to know them all, over these last couple of weeks. I am quite sure I will miss them after I leave, however I know there are more animals right around the corner to keep me amused.
The area here in North Saanich is very rural and extremely peaceful, and I do like that aspect of it. It's only a few kilometers from Sidney, so any supplies that I may require are close at hand.
Having just done a proof read of this latest blog, I would have to come to the conclusion that it is certainly one of the least interesting blogs I have composed, however, sometimes my brain isn't as creative as I would like it to be, or else it is somewhat pre-occupied with other things at the moment and I think it's the latter, that is the case today. Perhaps next week will be different.
Happy trails,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
Now, I have come to know plenty of dogs in all my travels, however the dog here called Lami has certainly become a good friend (bon ami) since my arrival last month. I could call her "glue" dog or "24hr" dog and both titles would suite just as well. She is constantly by my side and she has been a wonderful companion. I can see now why the owner thinks so highly of Lami. I will certainly miss her company when I leave here later this month.
The cat from Oz which goes by the name of Polly is somewhat like Lami in the fact that she is usually in the same vacinity as I am. This goes for bedtime as well, and even though I sleep in a very large bed, Polly snuggles up to my right side, and Lami on the left, so that I am the human "meat" in the pet sandwich. It took a couple of nights to get used to this but we all seem to have found our spots and the night passes uneventfully.
The third member of the four legged tribe is Peugeot the cat. Peugeot could also be called Wanderer or MIA cat as he pops in every now and again. I'm not quite sure where he gets to and sometimes he's gone for a day or two, and then, poof, he appears and the bed becomes even more crowded than before.
Together, they make an interesting group of critters, and it's been a joy to get to know them all, over these last couple of weeks. I am quite sure I will miss them after I leave, however I know there are more animals right around the corner to keep me amused.
The area here in North Saanich is very rural and extremely peaceful, and I do like that aspect of it. It's only a few kilometers from Sidney, so any supplies that I may require are close at hand.
Having just done a proof read of this latest blog, I would have to come to the conclusion that it is certainly one of the least interesting blogs I have composed, however, sometimes my brain isn't as creative as I would like it to be, or else it is somewhat pre-occupied with other things at the moment and I think it's the latter, that is the case today. Perhaps next week will be different.
Happy trails,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
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