Last sunset of 2010, and some nice parallel waves.
[Fuji-san from Kamakura
- and the lighthouse on Enoshima Island is visible!]
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Posted By Blogger to jules' pics at 12/31/2010 04:39:00 AM
Last sunset of 2010, and some nice parallel waves.
[Fuji-san from Kamakura
- and the lighthouse on Enoshima Island is visible!]
According to Dr David Viner, a senior research scientist at the climatic research unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia,within a few years winter snowfall will become "a very rare and exciting event"."Children just aren't going to know what snow is," he said.
[...]
Professor Jarich Oosten, an anthropologist at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands, says that even if we no longer see snow, it will remain culturally important.
"We don't really have wolves in Europe any more, but they are still an important part of our culture and everyone knows what they look like," he said.
David Parker, at the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research in Berkshire, says ultimately, British children could have only virtual experience of snow. Via the internet, they might wonder at polar scenes - or eventually "feel" virtual cold.
Heavy snow will return occasionally, says Dr Viner, but when it does we will be unprepared. "We're really going to get caught out. Snow will probably cause chaos in 20 years time," he said.
Of course snow falling always has and always will cause chaos in Britain. Until it stops falling completely, which may now be a few years further away than was previously thought :-)
(for those who've been living in a cave for the last few years, or at least outside the UK, it appears that in fact reports of the demise of snowfall are greatly exaggerated, at least according to the winters of 2008, 2009 and 2010).
Actually, it's better than that, because the latest research is that all this snowfall is actually more proof of global warming after all! I await with amusement the reaction of the detection and attribution community to this proof that all their results are bogus, since they have already proved that the "warmer winters" are being caused by anthropogenic global warming (eg here, a paper I just saw today). Personally, while I accept it's theoretically possible for AGW to cause some localised cooling (at least on a temporary basis), my money is on the D&A results for the time being. Invest in Scottish skiing resorts (at least for the long term) at your peril...
(and as a footnote to the pedants, I know there doesn't necessarily have to be a contradiction between snowfall and warmth, but in fact this December has been not only snowy but also perhaps the coldest since records began in the UK).
Now, Mr Kanda along with a string of leading Japanese sushi experts have declared war on so-called "pseudo sushi" in Europe – food which claims to be sushi in countless high street cafes, supermarkets and restaurants but in fact bears little resemblance to what is found in Japan.
Early next year, the sushi tsars will open Europe's first sushi academy in London devoted to professionally training chefs in a bid to correct increasingly erroneous misconceptions of what sushi should consist of.
"The Italians would never allow their pizzas not to be perfectly crusty outside Italy," said Mr Kanda. "The French are also protective of their cuisine. We want to do the same with Japanese food. There is no quality control at the moment."
Gavin insists that more images of people should appear on this blog. Wouldn't do to disobey Gavin. Hee heee.
It seems that a popular music band from Liverpool called "now on iTunes" have broken the USA. There were huge banners all over San Francisco advertising them, including the one in the centre of this photo, which looms over Union Square.
As yet another person tripped over the back of my chair in yet another packed San Francisco restaurant, I finally realised that the problem was mine, not theirs. For comfortable sitting the body-hip angle is supposed to be 90-120 degree. Every chair here seems to be a kind of bucket. For a few seconds I wondered why the San Franciscans put up with such discomfort. However, I soon noticed the other patrons and the simple fact that, with a fat enough arse, thighs are raised at the arse end, but not much at the knee end, such that the correct angle is maintained.
It turned out that the impossible deadline for spending our budget was little more than a ruse by the bureaucrats, and my recent request for the thinking woman's iPad was approved. So, on the way home from PMIP last night, we dropped into work and picked up an apple and some oranges. Just in time for the AGU.
Kyoto is orange.
[Kyoto Imperial Palace]
Kenchoji pond in Kamakura. By our calculations, or rather those of TPE, only early in the morning in summer is the pond free of large shadows when the sun is shining.
I mentioned previously that many trees including the cherry tree were unusually pretty this year, and turning at the same time as the species more famous for their colour (the gingko and maple). Furthermore there were reports of the best leaf season in Kyoto for a century. It was all looking very promising for the PMIP workshop next week. Unfortunately we have just suffered a massive storm, which has caused many trees to dump all their leaves at once, blocking the drains and causing minor flooding. On the plus side, it is clear blues skies and >20C today, but that wont be much solace for the PMIPpers as they wander through the bare twigs in Kyoto next week.
[photo taken on 21st November, outside work]