Archive for December, 2009


PLATE CORAL (AUSTRALIAN EXAMPLE OF GOOD FORMATION)

Filed under: My Australia pictures — Leave a comment
30/12/2009

Click for larger image size

Large plate coral is not rare except you won’t find them where many fishing and dive boats anchor.

A small anchor easily damages a formation like this one.  Some years ago a famous Australian underwater model posed on a plate coral (similar to the pose shown here) and was widely criticized for encouraging others to do the same – it was argued at the time it may result in the brittle formation breaking.

My guess today is that large formations of plate coral will be hard to find anywhere near densely populated islands of Asia.

This picture was taken in Australia  at Great Keppel Island, Queensland in 1988.

This piece of coral has since died after a massive fresh water flood.  Nature can destroy coral just as easily as humans.

Fishing with explosives is another sure way of getting rid of the marine environment, fast.

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A HERO FOR DEMOCRACY Cheng Nan-jung

Filed under: Taiwan Museums — Leave a comment
29/12/2009

 

During the martial law era, or near the end, this young journalist was publishing an underground magazine not approved of by the then government. Several titles were registered all using the words “Time Weekly”.  As a court would order a title to stop production, a reserve title would be used on the next edition.

Magazines were sold from ‘under the counter’ and only to trusted buyers.  Editorial content advocated for freedom of speech and the lifting of the harsh martial law which was to last an incredible 38 years in Taiwan.

After being jailed and released,  he vowed he would never be taken into custody again.  Obviously prison in those times was far from pleasant for him.

A later  ’blockade’ of his publishing headquarters which lasted 79 days occurred.

This time he was prepared with cans of gasoline and these were used to set fire to his office and himself.

A grim protest as police stormed the building to arrest him.

A section of the office remains as it was when the flames were extinguished.

Today it is both a memorial and a museum open to the public.

Deng Liberty Foundation

3F, No. 11  Alley 3,  Lane 106  Section 3, Minguan  East Road, Taipei.

Tel. 02-2546 8766      http://nylon.org.tw

Graphic pictures of his burned body and his wife standing near the corpse in grief are a shock to see.  Such types of images would never be displayed in an Australian museum.

Taiwanese love their hero’s and will remember this young man for a very long time while he continues to give others strength today.

Hundreds attended the indoor service, later each person left a single red rose at the top of the red carpet running uphill to the grave (or plaque).  This appears to have been an anniversary.

 

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A SEARCH FOR BEST CHOCOLATE

Filed under: Small Shop — Leave a comment
28/12/2009

Interesting effect when you move the camera while picture is being taken.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-HVy168o-8

Fireworks show at Bo-An Temple (terrific)


This is excellent Japanese chocolate but hard to find.

Watsons used to have it.

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JAPANESE COPPER MINE – KINKASEKI WWII POW CAMP

Filed under: The Taiwan Coast — Leave a comment
26/12/2009



Locations of  13 POW camps are all over the island.  The prisoners would have known they were ‘somewhere in Japan’ but I wonder if any knew it was Formosa?

Nearby was the copper mine where very weak and sick men slaved their lives away under worse than horrific conditions described at this web site:

http://www.powtaiwan.org/The%20Camps/camps_detail.php?Kinkaseki-POW-Camp-1&name=Kinkaseki

A plaque at the camp listing the number of survivors seemed optimistic or an error.

THE FULL STORY

To balance the situation.  The highly destructive fire-bombing of Japan during WWII – would not have helped improve attitudes between both sides.   Robert S. MacNamarra (Secretary of Defense under JFK and LBJ) details the fire bombing destruction in his amazing interviews in the  film “The Fog of War”, which every politician should be made to study.  MacNamarra is a hero for telling his story before passing away.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOCYcgOnWUM

(Relates to fire bombing of Japan – from The Fog of War – the American atrocity that nobody speak of).

It was not a one-sided war.I wonder what the 4,000 Aussies, British and Kiwi prisoners of war thought of Kinkaseki when they arrived in November 1942 – captured from the fall of Singapore.

They probably guessed they were in Japan – not the Japan we know today but the island of Formosa.

Here they became slave labor at a gold and copper mine. A monument says 10% of them died, I think someone got that wrong – more like 10% survived.

Most of those old soldiers never forgave the harsh, cruel treatment received from the Japanese.

I took this picture wondering what they thought of the place all the years ago.

A nightmare on earth?

Nearby is the sea and a stunning view of a mountain. The remains of the mine still exist.

Copper mine where Prisoners of War worked under shocking conditions

It would be good for the marine environment to stop that soil washing into the sea.

(above) Japanese Colonial period in Taiwan     –   click to enlarge any picture

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KEELUNG FISH MARKET – AN EYE OPENER

Filed under: How to Save Money, Taiwan Culture, Tasty Seafood, The Taiwan Coast — Leave a comment
25/12/2009

The rule with eating shark is – only eat small one’s, the smaller the better – less mercury.  How many people realize that fake crab sticks and fake lobster meat (surimi) probably is shark.  Surimi has been highly washed and pulped before flavor and color is added to resemble expensive seafood.  I avoid shark meat.

I’ve not seen this before.  A friend told me it was Manta Ray steaks.

Early morning is when the buying action happens.

KEELUNG FISH MART

I’ve never seen anything like this place. A good documentary film potential, but you’d need to work fast. After a couple of hours, as the sun comes up, everything vanishes.

Located near the harbor, Keelung is the traditional fish market servicing Taipei. Every imaginable seafood item would be here somewhere.

Much is still alive – even cuttlefish in a tank.

The price of ‘A” grade fish is much the same as in Australia.

South American frozen locos were offered as ‘abalone’- 12 medium-sized shellfish for AUD $44 – not in the same league as true abalone.

CANNED ABALONE

The most prestige brand is Calmex (USA) AUD $84 to $90 per can (contains usually just one abalone). It was quite delicious years ago but a bit too expensive today.

How to cook the fresh version, Chinese style, is still an unfolding story.

Boil slowly for four hours with a whole chicken and some ginger is one recipe.

Location of Keelung Fish Market

Octopus sausages are unknown in Australia.  They tasted good too.

Stingray can taste like crab meat if cooked a certain way.

Bag of oysters for about AUD $10

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MAORI WRASSE: KEELUNG FISH MARKET

Filed under: Nature, Tasty Seafood
25/12/2009

Maori wrasse (above)


I thought this brute might have been a rare Patagonian Tooth fish, but no.  It’s called a Rudder fish.  The big eye and dark color suggests deep water, which is true.  Instead of a gas filled ‘air’ bladder, this predator has a bladder filled with oil which enables the fish to change depths very fast with no ill-effect.  They probably chase small fish or squid at night from deep water towards the surface.  Other fish would have to give up the chase as pressures changed.  Not these fellows.  The downside is their flesh is contains a wax – non digestible.  Eat too much and you’ll be running for a toilet.
It looks like a giant parrot fish – it’s the Hump Head Maori Wrasse which has blueish meat.  Recently a protected species in Australia due to their  popularity with spear fishermen.  Thought to be extremely ‘shy’ but with trust they are like huge pets.  Worth a fortune as photographic subjects underwater.  The first tame specimens were seen in The Red Sea about 35 years ago.  The Cod Hole, north of Cairns (Australia) has some tame examples.   Are they good to eat?  Apparently yes.click for larger view


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WHALE SHARK WITH SNORKEL SWIMMERS

Filed under: The Taiwan Coast — Leave a comment
24/12/2009

Whale sharks are, I believe, protected in Taiwan waters.  In 2002 I attended a Shark Conference in Taipei that was a forerunner to new internationally agreed to laws preventing certain use and waste of sharks.

The value of underwater tourism with whale shark diving was also presented at the conference.

Years ago whale shark (known as ‘the tofu shark’) was on the menu, especially at fisherman’s wharf style cafe’s.

Giant shark fins displayed in Dihua Street and elsewhere may have come from whale sharks caught years ago.

Although on the internet and at shark expert’s blog I saw a giant white pointer (great white) shark on the rocky beach at Hualien  claimed largest known in the world.

There seems to be a strong current flowing south along the east coast.  This is where all the sensational marine things should be found from whale sharks to giant white pointers.

Combined with regular earthquakes it makes the east coast not just a spectacular visual destination but also something potentially special in the underwater world.

A challenge for future generations of athletic free divers to photograph.  Why free divers?  They get to see more forms of pelagic marine life than scuba divers who are usually restricted to a small region in deeper water that has been well visited.


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TAIWANESE SAY AUSTRALIA IS A PARADISE

Filed under: My Australia pictures, Uncategorized — Leave a comment
20/12/2009

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WEST OF THE ROCK – THESE FORMATIONS

Filed under: My Australia pictures — Leave a comment
20/12/2009

A far more spiritual formation that most tourists don’t bother about – due to minimal publicity are The Olgas.  Beautiful to see something nature has formed without man’s influence.  The surrounding bush

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ROCK IN THE CENTRE OF AUSTRALIA

Filed under: My Australia pictures — Leave a comment
20/12/2009

Admission prices to Australian national parks are far over-priced.

It’s worse if you’re  parking a car. Parking fines are severe within the parks.

Often parking meters are seen smashed as a form of protest.

Park rangers can have a  ”Nazi” style attitude.

I wonder is this because the more they discourage visitors then the less work they need to do afterwards?   It’s not a good system.   Too many rules.

Western Australia takes the prize for  bad attitudes in my opinion.

Fisheries inspectors in all states can be even worse.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN

Some form of crowd control is necessary.

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