"The public setsuden sentiment is merely symbolic. Everybody is joining the bandwagon as an expression of solidarity at a time of distress. What is more important is to create a deeper front against dangerous nuclear power," she told IPS.
A massive earthquake and tsunami on Mar. 11 destroyed Japan's largest nuclear power plant at Fukushima, forcing the government to review the national policy on nuclear energy that currently meets 30 percent of the national demand.
Japan has 54 nuclear reactors of which only 15 are in operation currently, with some of them set to undergo stress tests as a precaution after the Fukushima disaster.
As a result, the total electricity supplied by the ten major utilities in July dropped by almost nine percent, or 83 billion kilowatt hours, in comparison to supply in 2010, according to the Federation of Electric Power Companies.
Well-known Japanese author Kazutoshi Hanto, in an interview on Japanese television, likened the current power-saving efforts to 1945 post-war Japan when people worked hard to rebuild their country.
"National unity in the form of setsuden mirrors the early post-war diligence of the Japanese who worked single-mindedly to rebuild the country.
"There are new ideas and efforts rising from the worst nuclear disaster in Japan," Hanto said.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan is pushing a national goal to generate 20 percent of electricity from alternative energy sources such as solar and wind. Japan will legislate to mandate utilities to buy electricity generated from these sources at prices set by the government.
Such steps are long overdue, environmentalists say. There is also increasing interest among equipment manufacturers to develop energy saving products.
2011年8月22日 星期一
2011年8月18日 星期四
So, that could make me the bad guy.
'You're the guy that doesn't live and breathe with his team. How could you say you're a fan if you don't even want to know what assets your team could have? How do find those diamonds in the rough if you won't even scour the rough?'
If that's the case, then sure, I'll be the villain. I'll take the hit and not follow every snap that those that I cheer will take until early September. I'm fine with that. It's not my way of punishing the owners for closing the gates on their employees. I'm not protesting the players for drawing a line in the sand that couldn't be crossed for four-plus months. It's just my normal state of mind.
Now, my apathy might have waned a bit if one thing occurred. It's the same phenomenon that happened in 1994, 1998, and 2004.
The MLB strike of 1994 was especially irksome for me. As a young teen in Kansas City, the Royals were my summertime fascination.
I wasn't a fixture at games, but I did head out to Royals Stadium (before it was renamed for late owner Ewing Kauffman) to see the likes of George Brett, Frank White, Bo Jackson, Danny Tartabull, Flash Gordon, Mark Gubicza, and Jeff Montgomery. That year, the unexpected Royals had actually fought their way into contention past the All-Star Break.
Nationwide, the Strike took the wind out of baseball's sails. Even though many were relieved to see the game's return in April of 1995, the sport didn't really get a boost for another three years.
If that's the case, then sure, I'll be the villain. I'll take the hit and not follow every snap that those that I cheer will take until early September. I'm fine with that. It's not my way of punishing the owners for closing the gates on their employees. I'm not protesting the players for drawing a line in the sand that couldn't be crossed for four-plus months. It's just my normal state of mind.
Now, my apathy might have waned a bit if one thing occurred. It's the same phenomenon that happened in 1994, 1998, and 2004.
The MLB strike of 1994 was especially irksome for me. As a young teen in Kansas City, the Royals were my summertime fascination.
I wasn't a fixture at games, but I did head out to Royals Stadium (before it was renamed for late owner Ewing Kauffman) to see the likes of George Brett, Frank White, Bo Jackson, Danny Tartabull, Flash Gordon, Mark Gubicza, and Jeff Montgomery. That year, the unexpected Royals had actually fought their way into contention past the All-Star Break.
Nationwide, the Strike took the wind out of baseball's sails. Even though many were relieved to see the game's return in April of 1995, the sport didn't really get a boost for another three years.
2011年8月16日 星期二
Brain hemorrhage led to a new direction
George Arthur of Southport had been in the restaurant industry for over 30 years when he was told on Nov. 7, 2007 that he had had a massive brain hemorrhage. After nine days in the Intensive Care Unit, Arthur was on his way home and unbeknownst to him, on his way to a new life.
“I had a brain hemorrhage which put me out for about two years,” Arthur said. “I didn’t know if I would live or die. Luckily, I came out with only a few minor setbacks and in 2010 I wrote 30 songs.”
Music has always been a large part of Arthur’s life. He played drums, guitar, keyboard and sang in multiple choirs. His wife bought him a karaoke machine during his recovery and Arthur gained confidence through it.
“I’ve always had music in my life, but it was never my profession,” Arthur said. “I started trying to sing and that’s how I recuperated. I did a lot of singing and playing instruments. Emotionally it helped. It was the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Arthur could not read music nor did he have experience writing it, but he began writing songs in February 2010.
“I had never done anything like this in my life,” Arthur said. “ I never wrote any music and I can’t read it, but I wrote 30 songs in less than a year.”
He would have a tune come to him, he would go to his music room and begin recording. Arthur had to record everything that he played immediately.
“I do have a short term memory situation. I wrote my songs in my music room, I got the tunes first and I had to record it because I was afraid I wouldn’t know how to play it again,” Arthur said. “Then the lyrics, I did the same thing. There were more than a few times I had to pull over to the side of the road to write something down.”
“I had a brain hemorrhage which put me out for about two years,” Arthur said. “I didn’t know if I would live or die. Luckily, I came out with only a few minor setbacks and in 2010 I wrote 30 songs.”
Music has always been a large part of Arthur’s life. He played drums, guitar, keyboard and sang in multiple choirs. His wife bought him a karaoke machine during his recovery and Arthur gained confidence through it.
“I’ve always had music in my life, but it was never my profession,” Arthur said. “I started trying to sing and that’s how I recuperated. I did a lot of singing and playing instruments. Emotionally it helped. It was the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Arthur could not read music nor did he have experience writing it, but he began writing songs in February 2010.
“I had never done anything like this in my life,” Arthur said. “ I never wrote any music and I can’t read it, but I wrote 30 songs in less than a year.”
He would have a tune come to him, he would go to his music room and begin recording. Arthur had to record everything that he played immediately.
“I do have a short term memory situation. I wrote my songs in my music room, I got the tunes first and I had to record it because I was afraid I wouldn’t know how to play it again,” Arthur said. “Then the lyrics, I did the same thing. There were more than a few times I had to pull over to the side of the road to write something down.”
2011年8月11日 星期四
Excerpt: This Beautiful Life
She leaned over, the fixed lens of the camera catching a tiny smattering of blemishes on her cheek, like a comet's spray. Her hair had been bleached white, with long blond roots, and most of it was pulled back and up into a chunky ponytail above the three plastic hoops climbing the rim of her ear.
The song began to play, Beyoncé. I love to love you, baby. She stepped aside, revealing her room in all its messy glory. Above the bed was a painting; the central image was a daisy. A large lava lamp bubbled and gooed on the nightstand.
She was giggling offstage. Suddenly, the screen was a swirl of green plaid. Filmstrips of color in knife pleats. Her short skirt swayed along with her round hips. A little roll of ivory fat nestled above the waistband. She wore a white tank top, which she took off, her hands quickly finding the cups of her black bra. The breasts inside were small, and at first she covered them with her palms, fingers splayed like scallop shells. Then she unhooked the bra in the front and they popped out as if on springs. Her hands did a little fan dance as they reached below her hemline and lifted up her skirt.
She'd done all of this for his benefit. To please him. To prove him wrong. She reached out for the little toy baseball bat and the next part was hard to watch, even if you knew what was coming.
Two parties. Both of Elizabeth Bergamot's children had parties to go to. Jake, the eldest—his longish brown hair suddenly grazing his collarbones, his eyes the color of muddled mint—was on his own that night, of course. His party was up in the Bronx, in Riverdale, somewhere near his school. He was fifteen and a half the previous Friday. It was pretty ridiculous that the Bergamots continued to celebrate this increasingly minor milestone—his half birthday—with half a cake and half a present. Richard, Liz's husband, had started the whole business ten years earlier, when he'd surprised them both by bringing home half a deck of cards that year, the other twenty-six miraculously appearing overnight under the boy's pillow.
"He's five and a half on Cinco de Mayo," Richard had said, by way of explanation. "Is there a better cause for celebration?"
Since the gesture was so touching, so sweet and fatherly, and Richard was a Californian by birth, Liz had trusted him on the import of such things, Mexican things. Plus, it seemed fun—a fun family tradition! It was what Liz had always hungered after despite generations of contrary evidence: relatives as respite, home as haven, a retreat from the rest of the dangerous, damaging world.
Last Friday, this Cinco de Mayo, Jake got half a set of car keys in the morning over his Lucky Charms. The true key to the kingdom was to be delivered, along with tuition for driver's ed, on his actual birthday, in November.
But for tonight's party, Jake would have to rely on some cocktail of public transportation—bus, subway, bus, subway, subway, cab—although there was always the possibility that some other love-addled mom like Liz would drive him home. Liz herself was otherwise occupied. It was his job to figure it out.
The song began to play, Beyoncé. I love to love you, baby. She stepped aside, revealing her room in all its messy glory. Above the bed was a painting; the central image was a daisy. A large lava lamp bubbled and gooed on the nightstand.
She was giggling offstage. Suddenly, the screen was a swirl of green plaid. Filmstrips of color in knife pleats. Her short skirt swayed along with her round hips. A little roll of ivory fat nestled above the waistband. She wore a white tank top, which she took off, her hands quickly finding the cups of her black bra. The breasts inside were small, and at first she covered them with her palms, fingers splayed like scallop shells. Then she unhooked the bra in the front and they popped out as if on springs. Her hands did a little fan dance as they reached below her hemline and lifted up her skirt.
She'd done all of this for his benefit. To please him. To prove him wrong. She reached out for the little toy baseball bat and the next part was hard to watch, even if you knew what was coming.
Two parties. Both of Elizabeth Bergamot's children had parties to go to. Jake, the eldest—his longish brown hair suddenly grazing his collarbones, his eyes the color of muddled mint—was on his own that night, of course. His party was up in the Bronx, in Riverdale, somewhere near his school. He was fifteen and a half the previous Friday. It was pretty ridiculous that the Bergamots continued to celebrate this increasingly minor milestone—his half birthday—with half a cake and half a present. Richard, Liz's husband, had started the whole business ten years earlier, when he'd surprised them both by bringing home half a deck of cards that year, the other twenty-six miraculously appearing overnight under the boy's pillow.
"He's five and a half on Cinco de Mayo," Richard had said, by way of explanation. "Is there a better cause for celebration?"
Since the gesture was so touching, so sweet and fatherly, and Richard was a Californian by birth, Liz had trusted him on the import of such things, Mexican things. Plus, it seemed fun—a fun family tradition! It was what Liz had always hungered after despite generations of contrary evidence: relatives as respite, home as haven, a retreat from the rest of the dangerous, damaging world.
Last Friday, this Cinco de Mayo, Jake got half a set of car keys in the morning over his Lucky Charms. The true key to the kingdom was to be delivered, along with tuition for driver's ed, on his actual birthday, in November.
But for tonight's party, Jake would have to rely on some cocktail of public transportation—bus, subway, bus, subway, subway, cab—although there was always the possibility that some other love-addled mom like Liz would drive him home. Liz herself was otherwise occupied. It was his job to figure it out.
2011年8月4日 星期四
Light switch means big savings for Queensborough liquor store
Al Arburthnot did the math and made the decision to switch the halogen lights off inside his Queensborough Landing Liquor Store and turn LED ones on.
“It’s kind of a no-brainer,” said Arburthnot.
The 50- and 250-watt fixtures he was using were costing him $645 a month in his utility bill.
Along came Chris Jordon, the chief executive officer of 1-888-burnt-out?, a sign and lighting services company. Arburthnot has been dealing with Jordon for more than 30 years.
Jordon crunched the numbers for Arburthnot and figured out it would cost $7,700 to convert the store to LED (light emitting diode) lamps.
If he did so, Arburthnot would be eligible for a rebate of $4,200 from BC Hydro’s Power Smart program.
Jordon estimated the new lights would also reduce the store’s monthly bill to $38, and that instead of changing lights on a regular basis at a cost of $24 apiece the lamps would last two to three years.
That meant, according to his calculations, Arburthnot would recoup his investment in less than six months.
“LED has much higher cost up front, but the long-term energy saving and maintenance costs far outweigh [older types of lighting],” said Jordon.
Arburthnot said another factor in his decision was his costs were destined to go up dramatically.
Hydro’s plans to introduce smart meters to nail down precise usage would likely mean his store would be slotted into the more expensive “tier two” rate.
Arburthnot is also assuming electricity will only get more expensive in the future.
“We do have fairly inexpensive electricity. On a North American scale we are reasonably priced, but I see it is going to go nowhere but up.”
He also plans to install LED when his store at 57 Below, next to the New Westminster SkyTrain station, is integrated into the new mall being built there.
“It’s kind of a no-brainer,” said Arburthnot.
The 50- and 250-watt fixtures he was using were costing him $645 a month in his utility bill.
Along came Chris Jordon, the chief executive officer of 1-888-burnt-out?, a sign and lighting services company. Arburthnot has been dealing with Jordon for more than 30 years.
Jordon crunched the numbers for Arburthnot and figured out it would cost $7,700 to convert the store to LED (light emitting diode) lamps.
If he did so, Arburthnot would be eligible for a rebate of $4,200 from BC Hydro’s Power Smart program.
Jordon estimated the new lights would also reduce the store’s monthly bill to $38, and that instead of changing lights on a regular basis at a cost of $24 apiece the lamps would last two to three years.
That meant, according to his calculations, Arburthnot would recoup his investment in less than six months.
“LED has much higher cost up front, but the long-term energy saving and maintenance costs far outweigh [older types of lighting],” said Jordon.
Arburthnot said another factor in his decision was his costs were destined to go up dramatically.
Hydro’s plans to introduce smart meters to nail down precise usage would likely mean his store would be slotted into the more expensive “tier two” rate.
Arburthnot is also assuming electricity will only get more expensive in the future.
“We do have fairly inexpensive electricity. On a North American scale we are reasonably priced, but I see it is going to go nowhere but up.”
He also plans to install LED when his store at 57 Below, next to the New Westminster SkyTrain station, is integrated into the new mall being built there.
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