Japan launched its fourth spy satellite into orbit on Saturday, increasing its ability to independently gather intelligence.

I've always hated the idea of camera being built into cell phones and always avoided having one. They just can't build in the necessary capabilities to take even half way decent photos. Well, my new phone has one (I needed this particular phone for other reasons), so I decided to try it out. I was right, they are pretty worthless, unless you just need a low contrast, grainy, washed out image of something. Below is my attempt to push this camera a bit. On a short walk across from the San Diego Airport yesterday, I took a few of a red plastic children slide (from the inside), and some sculpture along the way.







I guess the best thing I can say about a cell phone camera is that, at least, you'll always have it with you ;-)

And the beat goes on. When are those in power in the West going to realize that the extreme Muslim faction is not going to stop this ruthless killing until we stop them. All the free countries of the world need to ban together to come up with a solution. No where is safe anymore.

It's still amazing to me that no one wants to pressure the North Koreans to come clean on the issue of the kidnapped Japanese girls. Especially now, that we seem to have the leverage to force them to do something about it. Should we wonder how quickly this would all be resolved if it was Cheney's daughter that was held against her will by a foreign government.

I've always liked this guy. Hard to imagine his life as a westerner living in Japan so many years ago. Interesting story.

The first paragraph of the story tells it all; read it carefully with special attention to the part about Southern Thailand being "LARGELY MUSLIM". I feel sorry for this once peaceful country. Hopefully they'll soon realize where the problem lies and get eradicate the bastards (sorry about my bad English).

BANGKOK, Monday, Feb. 19 — At least 28 bombs exploded in the largely Muslim south of Thailand on Sunday in escalating violence that has included bombings, shootings, beheadings and arson attacks in recent months.

The L.A. Times also ran a story on this and can be found here

Well, this might be a small sign, but it looks like a good one for both Japan and China.

Great hike until everything got turned on it's head ;-)

It's so sad what war does to people. The Japanese really have to accept this horrible fact from their past, apologize and allow everyone to move on. Let's all get this behind us.

You've got to wonder when China is going to either accept Taiwan's independence or put it's foot down. I've personally seen the defenses that Taiwan has put up all along the exposed beaches on the west side of the island, but I can't imagine that China is going to do a WWII style beach landing. It's a new world and I hope Taiwan is prepared.

Ping Pong

Hard to believe that the guy on the far side keeps getting it back. Really incredible talent.

I guess anything that keeps nuclear weapons out of the hands of another rogue state is a move in the right direction, but you've got to wonder just how far we can trust the North Koreans to keep to the agreement.

I'm always sadden by this issue, and hope that we can all come to a better understanding of what it's going to take to preserve our environment. It seems obvious to me that the slaughter of these rare and wonderful sea creatures should be stopped, at least, until more is known about their potential for survival.

The New York Times had this story yesterday about some of the archaeological remains they are uncovering while digging the site for the 2008 Olympic Games. They are discovering remains dating back to the Han Dynasty; over 2000 years ago.

So far, they've uncovered 700 ancient burial sites and recovered 1,538 artifacts, including porcelain urns and jade jewelry, while collecting more than 6,000 ancient coins. Interesting story.

I haven't put up anything from my Chinese art collection for awhile, so I dug back through the archives for a small sampling. I hope these will inspire you to search out some of your own.



Below are a couple of modern Chinese watercolors, one from just before the turn of the century, the other just after, that stand out for the bold colors so unlike the paintings of previous centuries.




These oils of the young, wide eyed northern Chinese girl have always shocked me with the depth of expression and feeling I get looking at them. I see in her a wisdom well beyond her years, or perhaps an awareness that this bleak landscape where generations of her family have lived and toiled is where she'll die. I feel she wants something more.





As I said, just a small taste. I'll put up more as I have time. Next up will be a group from my Japanese Floral Poppy Art collection. Enjoy.

The San Diego Asian Film Foundation

On Thursday, March 1, the San Diego Asian Film Foundation is showing the Japanese film titled Linda, Linda, Linda. IMDB has a review here

I've heard good things about the movie and the music, so I thought I'd let you know.