travel
Japan in April and May 2010 – Special Moments (I)
2010-06-07: People who visited this Post during the summer … some, many times … want more of an explanation. In this case … ‘Less was not More’ ! Apologies.
In the North of Kyoto City … Rokuon-Ji Temple – The Golden Pavilion … a very elegant three storey building, harmoniously integrated into the landscape … and clearly intended to be reflected in the water of Kyōko-chi (Mirror Pond).
Colour photograph showing The Golden Pavilion in Kyoto, Japan. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2010-04-24. Click to enlarge.
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Looking more closely at the Pavilion, each of the Three Floors has a different Architectural Style:
1. Hō-sui-in … the Name of the First/Ground Floor … built in the palace style, known as Shinden-zukuri.
2. Chō-on-dō … the Name of the Second Floor … built in the style of samurai houses, known as Buke-zukuri.
3. Kukkyō-chō … the Name of the Third Floor … built in the style of Karayō, or Zen Temple.
Both the 2nd and 3rd Floors are covered with gold leaf on Japanese lacquer. The roof covering, throughout, is cedar wood shingle. The Phoenix, at the top, promises good fortune.
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Air Travel Crisis in Europe – Know & Claim Your Rights !!
This is very personal … family, friends and I myself … have all been caught, twisted and mangled by the current air travel havoc in Europe. Catching a plane is stressful enough … the long queues … the security screening … the silly, ineffective regulations about liquids … the unbelievably high prices for everything at an airport (every airport !) … the marathon walks to departure gates … without having to endure the additional stress of not knowing whether the flight is on or off … and even IF you then get to your destination … not knowing whether the return flight will be on or off.
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For an update on the Volcanic Eruption at Eyjafjallajökull, in Iceland … go to this Page on the Icelandic Meteorological Office WebSite … http://en.vedur.is/earthquakes-and-volcanism/articles/nr/1884
For an update on the Latest Atmospheric Observations, Forecasts and Satellite Imagery … go to this Page on the British Meteorological Office WebSite … http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/europe/volcano/volcano_blog.html
HOWEVER … to Know and Claim Your Rights, under European Union Law, during the volcanic ash crisis … go to this Page on the European Commission (DG SANCO) WebSite … http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_consumer/icelandic-volcanic-cloud/index_en.htm It’s time to kick ass with the airlines ! And … that is exactly what happened with Ryanair in Italy, when it was fined €3 Million on 15th May 2010 !!!
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IMPORTANT UPDATE … IATA Press Release #20, dated 18th May 2010 …
[ IATA (International Air Transport Association) represents approximately 230 airlines, comprising 93% of scheduled international air traffic.]
Geneva – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on European governments and air navigation service providers to urgently develop more precise procedures to identify ash contaminated air space and allow more flights. The call came in the wake of 1,000 flight cancellations on Monday (17 May) as a result of the continued volcanic eruptions in Iceland.
“This problem is not going away any time soon. The current European-wide system to decide on airspace closures is not working. We welcome the operational refinements made by the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAAC) in their theoretical model, but we are still basically relying on one-dimensional information to make decisions on a four-dimensional problem. The result is the unnecessary closure of airspace. Safety is always our number one priority. But we must make decisions based on facts, not on uncorroborated theoretical models”, said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
Bisignani noted some successful exceptions which provide examples to follow. ”France has been able to safely keep its airspace open by enhancing the VAAC Data with operational expertise to more precisely determine safe fly zones. Today, the UK Civil Aviation, working with the UK NATS (the air navigation service provider), announced another step forward by working with airlines and manufacturers to more accurately define tolerance levels while taking into account special operational procedures. Both are examples for other European governments to follow”, said Bisignani.
Bisignani called for (1) more robust data collection and analysis; (2) a change in the European decision-making process; and (3) urgency in addressing the issues.
Data Collection & Analysis: ”Numbers show that the current system is flawed. Over 200,000 flights have operated in European airspace identified by the VAAC as having the potential presence of ash. Not one aircraft has reported significant ash presence and this is verified by post-flight aircraft and engine inspections. We must back the theory with facts gathered by aircraft to test ash concentration. France and the UK are showing that this is possible. If European civil aviation does not have the resources, it should look to borrow the test aircraft from other countries or military sources”, said Bisignani.
Changing the European Decision-Making Process: “We have lost confidence in the ability of Europe’s governments to make effective and consistent decisions. Using the same data, different countries have come to different conclusions on opening or closing airspace”, said Bisignani.
“Ultimately the industry needs a decision-making process for ash clouds similar to the one used for all other operational disruptions. Every day, airlines make decisions whether to fly or not to fly in various weather conditions. Airlines collate the information available and make informed decisions placing safety first and with full access to all the latest weather reporting. Why should volcanic ash be any different ?”, said Bisignani.
In the US, which has a lot of experience with volcanic activity, the government identifies a no-fly zone where ash concentration is the highest. For all other areas, it is the responsibility of the airline to decide to fly or not based on the various data sources available. ”The US has well-established, safe and effective procedures for tracking the hazards of volcanic ash. In recent years, the industry had no recorded safety incidents from volcanic activity in US airspace. Europe has a lot to learn”, said Bisignani.
Urgency: “Volcanic ash is a new challenge for European aviation. We can understand that systems need to be developed to cope. But, what is absolutely inexcusable is the failure of Europe’s governments to act urgently and collectively to provide real leadership in a crisis. We have vast amounts of data from over 200,000 safe flights ready for analysis to support an urgent review of the current processes. The UK is finally moving in the right direction. But what about the other affected European governments ? The next transport ministers meeting is scheduled for 24th June 2010. What kind of leadership waits more than a month to make crisis decisions ? European businesses are dependant on air travel and passengers certainly cannot wait that long for initiatives like the UK’s to be implemented continent-wide”, said Bisignani.
To enhance the industry’s long-term ability to address volcanic ash issues, Bisignani is travelling to Montreal for urgent meetings with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). ”IATA and ICAO have been working intensely on this issue since the crisis first struck in April, 2010. IATA is strongly supporting the ICAO Task Force which is reviewing ash tolerance thresholds with states, operators, manufacturers and the scientific community. The responsibility of manufacturers is critical in providing performance information to back decisions”, said Bisignani.
Tomorrow, Bisignani will meet Roberto Kobeh-Gonzales, President of the ICAO Council and Raymond Benjamin, ICAO Secretary-General. ”It is important that we act urgently and globally to better deal with this crisis and to lay a solid foundation for better decision making in future eruptions. Even as Europe stumbles with its fragmented approach, IATA is working with the global community through ICAO and by tapping into the experience of leading regulators like the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to facilitate harmonized solutions”, said Bisignani.
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Earlier Information Which Is Now Very Interesting ! … EEA Press Release, dated 23rd April 2010 …
Volcanic Ash is Having Little Impact on Europe’s Air Quality
Copenhagen – The European Environment Agency (EEA) is closely following the impacts of recent volcanic eruptions in Iceland, in particular assessing changes in ground-level air pollution. According to preliminary monitoring data, ground-level air quality across Europe has not deteriorated significantly as a result of the volcanic activity.
Volcanic eruptions have the potential to inject substantial amounts of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and ash into the atmosphere. Volcanic aerosol, a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in the air, is created during eruptions and can be transported thousands of kilometres. Particles in the volcanic aerosol may carry pollutants with the potential to harm human health and ecosystems.
So far, monitoring stations in Europe have only detected a few episodes of ambient air concentrations of particulate matter and sulphur dioxide of volcanic origin, in particular at elevated mountainous locations, for example at Zugspitze in Germany (2,659 m). The threat to public health in the European Union is therefore considered minimal at present.
On Iceland, however, the situation is different: concentrations of particulate matter are markedly higher than usual in some areas. That potentially represents a significant threat to humans and farm animals, according to the Icelandic Directorate of Health, which closely monitors pollution levels.
In Europe, rain and snowfall are expected to remove volcanic debris from the atmosphere. Detecting this process requires the chemical content of precipitation to be analysed, which takes time. Should these data indicate high pollutant levels, the current assessment of risk for human health and ecosystems may need to be reassessed.
The EEA maintains a public air quality information system, Air Watch, within its Eye on Earth Portal. It displays near real-time measurements of concentrations of three air pollutants (ground-level ozone O3, particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide NO2) from approximately 1,000 monitoring stations in 32 countries, as well as updates from citizens.
Because ambient air concentrations and fallout can vary across short ranges within Europe, the EEA also advises the public to refer to national or local air quality authorities, which may have additional or new information on local conditions. Detailed information on national and local data providers is also available via Eye on Earth.
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Autumn Scenes At Glendalough – Ripples Through Time ?
The beauty of the Irish countryside is hard to beat. A few dry days are all we need … and to be able to see the sun occasionally ! Make that … more than occasionally !!
Colour photograph of 'Upper Lake at Glendalough' - Autumn Scene. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-10-26.
It is breathtaking to imagine the Climatic & Geological Upheavals – hundreds of thousands of years ago – which created the Valley of the Two Lakes: ‘Gleann Dá Locha’ in Irish, or ‘Glendalough’ in English.
Colour photograph of 'Autumn Trees' at Glendalough, County Wicklow, Ireland. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-10-26.
It is comforting to know that we once had – hundreds of years ago – a Better System of Law: ‘Féineachas’ in Irish, or more commonly known as ‘Brehon Law’ in English.
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Short Interruption in Service – Apologies to All
On Tuesday morning last, 28th April 2009 … this Site crashed … ‘went down’ … a blank screen with just a short, cryptic message in computer jargon at the top … it was no more … it had expired … but briefly, and temporarily !
The reason was traffic overload … too many visitors. For this, we humbly apologise. And apologies to Monty Python for mangling their ‘dead parrot’ sketch ! I couldn’t help it ?!?
That was the bad, bad news.
The good news behind the interruption, however, is that I was away in Lund … one of the big university towns in Sweden … attending an important meeting of CIB Working Commission 14 : Fire. CIB stands for ‘Conseil International du Bâtiment’ (International Council of Building Research).
CIB W14 is an international, multi-stakeholder, trans-disciplinary, pre-normalization forum for discussion on research and innovation in Built Environment Fire Engineering.
Colour photograph showing the Dinner for participants at the CIB W14 & ISO TC92 Meetings which were held in Lund University during Week 17. Our very friendly Host was Mr. Robert Jönsson, Head (and Associate Professor) of the Department of Fire Safety Engineering & Systems Safety at Lund University. 30 of his students also attended the Dinner. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-04-23.
Successful meetings in Lund … and, on the return journey home, successful business in Stockholm … the weather was marvellous throughout …
Colour photograph showing Kungsträdgården, a principal piazza in Central Stockholm lined with Cherry Blossoms, on a beautiful, sunny April evening. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-04-25.
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day from Dublin !
The day was beautiful … there was no rain … the sun was shining … it wasn’t cold … temperatures between 10-12 oC … a light breeze, with a slight chill !
The company was mighty.
Foreign Bands were from Germany, Italy, USA & Canada … from what I could see anyway.
The best efforts were from Donegal. The best drummers were from Italy !!
What is it to be Irish … now ? Answers for another day … later !
Colour photograph. Scene 2. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-03-17.
Colour photograph. Scene 3. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-03-17.
Colour photograph. Scene 4. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-03-17.
Colour photograph. Scene 5. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-03-17.
Colour photograph. Scene 6. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-03-17.
Colour photograph. Scene 7. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-03-17.
Colour photograph. Scene 1. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-03-17.
’112′ – A Single European Emergency Phone Number
Wherever you are in the European Union (EU) … and whatever you are doing … there is just one phone number that you need to remember for emergency services – ’112′.
Now that Bulgaria has set up its own 112 Hotline, the single EU Emergency Phone Number works in All EU Member States, without exception …
Check out your country … here !
When you call ’112′, – from a land line, a public pay phone or a mobile/cell/handy phone – a local operator will either deal with your call directly, or redirect you to the emergency service you need – ambulance, police or fire brigade.
There is no charge for a ’112′ Phone Call.
The single EU Emergency Phone Number does not replace existing national emergency phone numbers – it works alongside them.
Did you know that this number has been around for almost 20 years … and still only 22% of Europeans know about it ?
However, one small little problem remains … you can only call this number … and … if you can call any number at all !
Article 9 of the 2006 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (text quoted in an earlier post !), which became an International Legal Instrument on 3rd May 2008, requires that the …
EU ’112′ Emergency Phone Number System be ACCESSIBLE !
Get your fingers out Brussels !!!
Europe Pretending to Lead the Way on Climate Change ?
In August 2008 … I travelled to Bengaluru (Bangalore), in the south of India, to attend a Fire Conference organized by the Fire & Safety Association of India (FSAI). A year earlier, I had been with them in Chennai (Madras), also in the south. My own father, Con, had been a teacher in the north of the country from about 1930 onwards, so I had always wanted to see the country for myself. He was caught there, by the way, during the 2nd World War and could only travel back home, to Ireland, in 1947.
Much to the amusement of local people, the means of transport I decided to use … guaranteeing a vivid experience of the varied local sights, sounds and smells … was an Auto-Rickshaw … a three-wheeled scooter, with an open yellow cab on the back. It is a common form of transport in the large cities of India. This was a serious effort … no messing around in the sealed cocoon of an air-conditioned taxi !
These 2 Photographs were taken during the rush hour traffic, early one morning, in Bengaluru. The roads were jammed solid with traffic … every type of vehicle … crawling along at a snail’s pace. The driver of my Auto-Rickshaw was bent over the handlebars … always coughing … heaving a loud, jagged-rough, deep cough …
Colour Photograph showing the View from Inside an Auto-Rickshaw during Morning Rush Hour Traffic in Bengaluru, Southern India. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2008-08-07.
The reason for his coughing … you can see an actual pollution haze to the right of the frame below … a haze so thick, that it almost had to be parted with your hands in order to see ahead …
Colour Photograph showing the Pollution Haze during Morning Rush Hour Traffic in Bengaluru, Southern India. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2008-08-07.
This is the reality of everyday life on the ground in one of the economically more advanced ‘developing’ countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China & South Africa (BRICS) – where far too many people are chasing the dream of our reality in Europe … a reality created from the plunder, over hundreds of years, of those same ‘developing’ countries.
This is why the European Union must lead by ‘real’ example when it comes to Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation. But, is it ‘real’ ????
This is why Ireland must begin to properly face up to its responsibilities under Kyoto I, the EU 2020 Targets, and a probable Kyoto II International Agreement to be finalized in Copenhagen towards the end of 2009.
This is why the United States of America must stop prancing around our fragile planet like a spoiled, immature child … and engage seriously with the rest of us. We have lost all patience !
Copenhagen & the European Union …
On 28th January 2009, the European Commission issued COM(2009) 39 final …
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee & the Committee of the Regions – Towards a Comprehensive Climate Change Agreement in Copenhagen.
On Page 2 of the Communication, the Executive Summary commences …
‘ The successful conclusion of the international climate change negotiations in Copenhagen at the end of 2009 is a key priority for the European Union (EU). Now that the Climate & Energy package has been adopted, the EU must step up its contacts with third Countries, both in the UN context and beyond.’
A paragraph later, it continues …
‘ In order to limit the global average temperature increase to not more than 2°C above pre-industrial levels, developed countries as a group should reduce their emissions to 30% below 1990 levels in 2020. The EU has set the example by committing to a 20% reduction in its emissions compared to 1990 levels by 2020, irrespective of whether or not an international agreement is concluded. This is by far the most ambitious commitment by any country or group of countries in the world for the post-2012 period.
The EU is willing to go further and sign up to a 30% reduction target in the context of a sufficiently ambitious and comprehensive international agreement that provides for comparable reductions by other developed countries, and appropriate actions by developing countries. Developing countries as a group should limit the growth of their emissions to 15-30% below business as usual.’
Abu Dhabi as ‘Sustainable City’ – A New Language Required ?
Recent international attention has been drawn, in a morbid sort of way, to the current economic condition of two contrasting cities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – Abu Dhabi and Dubayy (Dubai).
In the month of October, 2008, I was very pleased to travel to both of these cities for the first time … with the purpose of introducing the subject of Sustainable Fire Engineering at a Building Seminar in the World Trade Centre, Dubayy. My host was, and is more so now, convinced that this innovative approach to fire engineering offers a key to future commercial success in the Gulf Region.
Before making my presentation, however, I had spent some essential days wandering around Abu Dhabi … soaking up the local atmosphere and culture.
Arriving later in Dubayy, I was ‘shocked and stunned’ – a vivid Dublin expression - to see that Billions of Dirhams (the local currency) had been spent on re-creating the Nightmare that is the 20th Century American City … where, if you want to just scratch your nose, you must get into your car – or one of them at least – to do so.
It was tragic to see how the local authorities were trying to ‘shoehorn’ an Urban Rail System into the existing City Fabric … ducking, and weaving in and out, between road overpasses and spaghetti junctions which had only been built in the last 10 years.
Sightings of UMO’s (Unidentified Moving Objects) … pedestrians and cyclists … are extremely rare ! The local summer, by the way, is the only season when it is definitely unhealthy to engage in either activity … temperatures can regularly reach into the low 50s oC.
People are much smarter in Abu Dhabi – so I was told. They have seen the mistakes which have been made up the road, and they are determined to take a different path with their future development.
“How long will it take to transform and re-shape Abu Dhabi into a Sustainable City ?”, I was asked.
In order to answer that question, a new language is required. Let me introduce you to some of its Technical Terms … which, even after many years of sweat and toil in SDI, are still being regularly reviewed, revised and updated:
Human Environment …
Anywhere there is, or has been, an intrusion by a human being in the natural environment.
The Human Environment comprises, and must be taken together as a unified, complex whole:
Social Environment …
The complex network of real and virtual human interaction – at a communal or larger group level – which operates for reasons of tradition, culture, business, pleasure, information exchange, institutional organization, legal procedure, governance, human betterment, social progress and spiritual enlightenment, etc.
The Social Environment shapes, binds together, and directs the future development of, the Built (including Virtual) Environment.
Built Environment …
Anywhere there is, or has been, a man-made or wrought (worked) intervention by humans in the natural environment, e.g. cities, towns, villages, rural settlements, services, transport systems, roads, bridges, tunnels, and cultivated lands, lakes, rivers, coasts, seas, etc.
Virtual Environment …
A designed environment, electronically-generated from within the Built Environment, which may have the appearance, form, functionality and impact – to the person perceiving and actually experiencing it – of a real, imagined and/or utopian world.
Long before the present seismic upheavals and sordid revelations … the intuition of many people around the world had been informed that ‘economics’ inhabited its own closed environment … and operated to entirely different ‘rules’ from the rest of us – mere peasants – which are anything but open and transparent. The ‘actors’ in this Economic Environment are not accountable. Well … not yet, anyway !
Economic Environment …
The intricate web of real and virtual human commercial activity – operating at micro and macro-economic levels – which facilitates, supports, but sometimes hampers or disrupts, human interaction in the Social Environment.
And, still under development … the Institutional Environment.
Social Wellbeing …
A general condition – in a community, society or culture – of health, happiness, creativity, responsible fulfilment, and sustainable development.
Individual Welfare …
A person’s general feeling of health, happiness and fulfilment.
And finally for now:
The City …
A geographical region, with open and flexible boundaries, consisting of:
(a) An interwoven, densely constructed core (built environment) ;
(b) A large resident population of more than 500,000 people (social environment) ;
(c) A supporting hinterland of lands, waters and other natural resources (cultivated landscape) ;
together functioning as …
(i) a complex living system (analogous to, yet different from, other living systems such as ecosystems and organisms) ; and
(ii) a synergetic community capable of providing a high level of individual welfare and social wellbeing for all of its inhabitants.
Vienna & ‘The Third Man’ – Film Locations (I)
The 1949 film: The Third Man … directed by Carol Reed, with the haunting zither music of Anton Karas, and starring Joseph Cotton, Alida Valli, Orson Welles and Trevor Howard … also ‘stars’ the war-damaged city of Vienna, in Austria.
Although talked about right from the beginning, we never actually see the character of ‘Harry Lime’, played by Orson Welles, until late in the film. It is a pivotal scene. He is just a black shadow standing in a dark doorway … when suddenly, a light from an upstairs window across the street shines on his face … and we see that roguish smile !
Black and white image of 'Harry Lime', played by Orson Welles, in a pivotal scene late in the film: 'The Third Man'. Click to enlarge.
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Holly Martins Discovers Harry Lime & Chases His Shadow
Click the Link Above to Download and/or Play this Film Soundtrack Clip (mp3 File, 3.23 Mb)
Finding and following the film locations for The Third Man offers a very interesting way to discover today’s Vienna. The ‘doorway’ is located off Schreyvogelgasse, on Mölker Bastei. Here are three recent photographs, taken in March 2008 …
Colour Photograph of Harry Lime 'Doorway' in Vienna. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2008-03-15.
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Colour Photograph of Harry Lime 'First Appearance' Location in Vienna. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2008-03-15.
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Colour Photograph of Schreyvogelgasse in Vienna. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2008-03-15.
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Water Lilies & Willow Tree – Monet’s Garden at Giverny
Claude Monet (14 November 1840 – 26 December 1926) devoted the last twenty five years of his life to painting the water lilies which floated on the large pond at the bottom of his garden at Giverny … in Normandy, France. There are approximately 250 ‘Water Lilies’ in this series.
Colour Photograph of 'Water Lilies & Willow Tree' in Claude Monet's Garden at Giverny, Normandy. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2004-08-29.
This photograph was taken on 29 August 2004. It shows those same water lilies on the pond, and that same willow tree by the bank. Please enjoy.
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