Month: December 2017

CommentaryLeave a comment

Siren Song of 2017

dorr2world

Public address systems are not uncommon in Japan and are regularly used. Whether it is a notice about a lost purse in the Harajuku District of Tokyo, or a fire in a rural community on Kyushu, public address systems are used often. In rural Kyushu I have even been awakened at 6 a.m. to the sound of an announcement which, as I later discovered, had little immediate import. Anyway, the public address systems in Japan are not just decorative. For the 2017 launches of North Korean missiles which flew over parts of Japan (particularly the northern island of Hokkaido), the … Continue reading Siren Song of 2017

CommentaryLeave a comment

Oh Deer!

dorr2world

Another reflection on 2017 as its wick burns low. The world in which we live. This subject article comes from the venerable “Guardian” which fearfully protects us from ourselves. Or not. I read an article in January 2017 about the snow monkey and the deer (sounds like a short story or a joke) and wondered if it was more than the “rare” event statisticians so often reference to make their lives easier. While observing (a critical part of the scientific method) such behavior between species is interesting and perhaps informative, I didn’t expect that the original news report I read … Continue reading Oh Deer!

CommentaryLeave a comment

2017 From the Rear View Mirror. Agenbite of Inwit?

dorr2world

It is a beautiful early summer morning here in North Canterbury, specifically Rangiora. Rangiora is a farming community in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand’s South Island (Southland), about 30 minutes from the largest Southland city of Christchurch. A great day to pause and reflect on 2017, and my arrival here in December of 2016. Rangiora is a town of just under 20,000, and considered a farming community by most. It has a High Street, several decent shops, and of course a gym, medical clinic, and supermarket within easy walking distance. It is a great place to live, and its … Continue reading 2017 From the Rear View Mirror. Agenbite of Inwit?