PRETTY BIRDS SCREEN SAVER
28 Friday May 2010
Posted in My Australia pictures, Nature
Monthly Archives: May 2010
CONTRASTING LIFESTYLES. TAIWAN – AUSTRALIA
25 Tuesday May 2010
Posted in My Australia pictures
Unknown couple in a coal mining town, Cessnock New South Wales.
Friday night at the local licensed club. Beer is cheap. Raw chickens (chooks) and trays of raw meat are ‘raffled’ in a type of lottery. It’s a ritual that happens everywhere on Friday after work while the patrons consume vast quantities of tap beer.
Picture was made possible while I worked with a traveling 16mm film show – selling tickets and screening for the 1960′s outback and wildlife film titled “Northern Safari” (produced by Keith F. Adams). Now legendary as an exceptional box office hit film that grossed millions and was exhibited by private distribution for decades. (It’s still going on DVD today and has a web site)!
COLORFUL AUSTRALIAN BIRDS
23 Sunday May 2010
Posted in My Australia pictures
It’s easy to make friends with these birds. They love bread and honey. One bird has a split lower beak which makes for easy identification. Commonly seen in many tree’s in suburban Sydney.
REAL POLYNESIANS – EAST TAIWAN COUSINS
23 Sunday May 2010
Posted in Polynesian pictures (1969)
PEDESTRIAN HAZARDS
14 Friday May 2010
Posted in My First Taipei Views
Zhongxiao E Road Sec 4, (pictured), Minquan E Road and Renai Road are among the most dangerous roads for pedestrians in Taipei City, a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City councilor said yesterday, urging the city government to take more measures to ensure the city’s road safety. A total of 4,387 accidents involving pedestrians and bicycles have occurred on pedestrian crossings in Taipei since 2006, with 48 pedestrians dying from the incidents, according to statistics from Taipei City Police Department’s Traffic division. DPP Taipei City Councilor Hung Chien-yi (洪健益) yesterday also said Zhonghua Road, Chengde Road, Nanjing E Road and Xinyi Road were among the top eight dangerous roads for pedestrians. (TaipeiTimes. May14,2010)
I can vouch for the above story being accurate. Many times I almost was hit by traffic at the above intersection. Pedestrian crossings mean little to motorists in Taipei I was to discover in 2002 and 2003.
SHARKS ARE WORTH MUCH MORE ALIVE
12 Wednesday May 2010
Posted in My Australia pictures, Nature
Grey nurse sharks are good for dive tourism in Australia. I don’t believe this species is found in Taiwan, but if so, they would be a mini goldmine. The sharks don’t seek humans as food. Their needle teeth are for catching fast moving fish and holding onto them. The shark is a nocturnal feeder – by daylight they doze around the sea floor, usually in depths of 20 to 30 meters which is perfect for adventurous scuba divers with cameras.
At Green Island, schooling hammerheads sharks have been sighted, which is far more exciting. The sharks don’t stay around long enough to become a tourist attraction.
If Grey Nurse (also known as sand sharks and ragged tooth sharks) are known in Taiwan, perhaps through fisheries catches, it would be good news. The easiest method of making a rough ID is via their dorsal fins. Two dorsals of almost equal size.
SANCHONG – STONE CARVINGS
12 Wednesday May 2010
Posted in My First Taipei Views
The raw stone comes from Grass Mountain (Yangmingshan). A good project for the Hard Rock Cafe would be music legends carved in stone by this artist. It wouldn’t be prohibitively expensive but they might give this guy more work than he could ever handle. Surfing legends might be another outlet, or movie stars.
The factory is on the other side of the Taipei River. Nobody speaks English. An interesting project for anyone wishing to export stone carvings.
TAIPEI TEA MUSEUM – SHOP
12 Wednesday May 2010
Posted in My First Taipei Views, Taiwan Culture, Taiwan Museums
Located near the Taipei River in the old end of the city. I’d be very lucky to find it again. It’s very popular with visitors. Tiny tea samples are offered to visitors. The baskets show a past era of exports to the world. Very enjoyable although I did not understand a word of what was being told to visitors.
DRAGON
12 Wednesday May 2010
Posted in My First Taipei Views, Taiwan Culture
Tags
Nobody has ever seen a dragon – so this one has the body of a horse according to the artist.
ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL OF HOUSE
12 Wednesday May 2010
Posted in My First Taipei Views, Taiwan Museums
The beauty of time, bricks outlast the human occupants.
