Old Crow
Old Crow's JournalJapanese Nature Videographer Gets Adopted By Kitten
Wildlife videographer Mitsuaki Iwago has a special place in his hearts for cats. This kitten seemed to understand that instantly.
European Map of the New World, First Pub'd 1540, Showing Japan
I was doing some Columbus Day research and happened across the map below, created by the German cartographer Sebastian Münster. I thought some of you might find it interesting. Japan is labeled Zipangri and is the yellow rectangle located about a three-hour boatride from Mexico. 
On the continent of South America, you can see that Münster has used Amerigo Vespucci's term for what would come to be called The Americas: Die Nüw Welt (The New World). Columbus himself, never understanding that the lands he "discovered" weren't part of Asia, died 34 years before this map was made, convinced that Japan was located north and a bit west of Cuba.
It would be interesting to see Asian maps from the same period. I've only just begun looking into the topic. If anyone has any resources they can point me to, that would be great. Thanks!
Max the Cockatoo Throws a Fit
A cockatoo with the personality of a three-year-old throws a temper tantrum when his owner attempts to get him into a carrier so he can get his nails trimmed. Max speaks nonsense words that resemble his owner's speech. It's unintelligible, but it's perfectly clear Max does NOT want to go and is saying "You CAN'T make me!" 
This clip is so full of horse manure it reeks.
Not only is Australia (and western Europe) derided as a place of "no freedom," they promote the lie that Umpqua Community College was a gun-free zone. Per state law, anyone with a concealed firearms license is allowed to bring a gun on the UCC campus. Many students do just that, and according to at least one interview I read, that state of affairs was "common knowledge."
Contrary to the Fox News talking point, no mass shooter has ever been found to have selected a target because it was a gun-free zone.
Also: Tucker Carlson is an oleaginous bastard. In the wake of a shooting that leaves nine dead, in a country awash with firearms where more preschoolers die from gunshot wounds than policemen, he closes by referring to a piece in Salon he read "the other day" supposedly calling for the banning of all guns and dismissing the Second Amendment as "written by white guys 200 years ago." Carlson exclaims: "That's where the left is right now. It's scary!"
In response to Carlson's statement, I have spent nearly an hour reviewing every Salon article on gun control published since October 1, the date of the UCC shootings. I even went back further, looking at some articles from August. Not one article includes the opinion that all guns should be banned or the dismissive comments about "white guys" Carlson quotes.
At this point, I'm convinced the reference was an invention of Fox News created to close this segment by exploiting the fears raised by the massacre and focusing them on "the left." It's a classic maneuver of the propagandist: Seize the fear and redirect it.
If you want to try the search for the article Carlson references yourself, below is a link to all recent Salon articles tagged with the topic "gun control." Let me know if you find anything.
http://www.salon.com/topic/gun_control/
Thanks.
Learn the Top 25 Must-Know Japanese Nouns!
Host Risa takes us through a list of 25 must-know Japanese nouns, illustrating them in her usual amusing fashion.
Ask a Japanese Teacher! What Does "Domo" Mean?
In Risa's instructional video, "Top 25 Japanese Must-Know Phrases," she explains that "domo" has several meanings, which I found puzzling. This short video explains why. (More very, very basic Japanese instruction for those, like me, who know next-to-nothing.)
PBS Nova: Nuclear Meltdown Disaster
This new Nova documentary (first aired July 29, 2015) focuses on the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster of 2011. The minute-by-minute story describes both the technical and psychological issues responders faced. 53 minutes long.
Bears chased from property by tiny French bulldog
A brave little bulldog named "Jewels" proved size means nothing after she chased away two bears from her California home.
It isn't fear that's motivating me.
I'm aware, after all, of the numbers involved. I realize the chances of me, personally, being killed are slim.
Intead, what motivates me is concern for others. I have a hard time watching innocents being slaughtered, week after week after week, like the 20 elementary school children in Sandy Hook.
The word is empathy. Not fear.
Australian Mass Shooting Victims: 1987 to Present
I put this graphic together in response to yesterday's mass shooting in Roseburg, Oregon. Please feel free to share with anyone and everyone, via email, Facebook, Twitter, whatever.
Direct link for image (remove the asterisk): h*ttp://s9.postimg.org/6qsn1gjin/Australian_Mass_Shooting_Victims.jpg
Thanks.
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Name: Corvus brachyrhynchosGender: Male
Hometown: Pennsylvania
Home country: United States
Current location: United States
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