Jeff Shaw's Okinawa blog

Exit, stage west

nobody@vox.com(Jeff) — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:09:22 -0700

In the ideal world, I wouldn't have left Okinawa with my last post being effectively "Hey, this typhoon crushed all this material in my neighborhood, leaving disaster and detritus in its wake," but given the absence of ready-made electricity and t...

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Note to self

nobody@vox.com(Jeff) — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 21:44:12 -0700

If a typhoon is coming, do not park your car by a golf ball driving range. Those girders holding the nets in place come down mighty easy, and the result is something that might fit in the Transformers movie: This is about a kilometer from my hous...

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I Can See Clearly Now

nobody@vox.com(Jeff) — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 17:28:35 -0700

The rain is gone. The trees and shrubs around my place look like they've been attacked by the world's largest weed whacker, but other than that, evidence of the typhoon is limited to soaked earth and the occasional collapsed structure. But I'm saf...

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More typhoon consequences

nobody@vox.com(Jeff) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 22:01:08 -0700

My neighbor's carport collapsed. Set out on a 100-yard walk to the road to investigate, and this was among my first discoveries. We're still in the middle of it, though I suspect the worst is over. Sadly, my predictions for the hibiscus et. al...

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Typhoon in pictures (and moving pictures)

nobody@vox.com(Jeff) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 19:27:48 -0700

UPDATE, 12:30 p.m.: Power just went out for about five minutes, then came back on. Apparently about 60,000 people in the Ryukyus are without power, so I don't know how long it's going to last. Don't worry, though, it's going to take me at least 5 ...

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Surf's up in Ryukyu

nobody@vox.com(Jeff) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 06:16:40 -0700

We're expecting landfall in just a few hours. Apparently the winds are expected to reach 150 (!) mph, and the conditions are expected to create 35 foot waves. I think it's pretty awesome that there's a website devoted to tracking extreme weather e...

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Going Out With a Bang

nobody@vox.com(Jeff) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 07:51:32 -0700

I haven't been the world's best blogger lately. As you might imagine, I've been saying goodbyes, packing, selling various sundries and even finding time to write a word or two. That's why you haven't heard from me lately. If you don't hear from m...

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Coral Reefs: Not Just For Fish Any More

nobody@vox.com(Jeff) — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 18:47:34 -0700

Divers love coral reefs. Why wouldn't we? They're the lungs of the ocean, and provide ample living space for the lovely creatures we enjoy staring at under the sea. Turns out the economic value these cavalcades of beauty manifest is even more dra...

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First Manta Ray Born in Captivity

nobody@vox.com(Jeff) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 16:07:05 -0700

Posts have been slow around here lately as my time in Okinawa draws to a close. I'm just trying to get the last of my research done before I return home -- and to sell my next book after this one. Hence, I'm pretty swamped. Two bits of cool envir...

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Henoko surveys harm environment

nobody@vox.com(Jeff) — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 22:48:32 -0700

And mainland public works projects are just hastening the extinction train's journey down the tracks. So says Kunitoshi Sakurai, president of Okinawa University, in today's Asahi Shimbun. Hint: he's right.

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