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Missouri: Shocking Tornado Video

23 May

If you have been following the news lately, you would know that a string of Tornado’s have been wreaking havoc in the central section of the U.S that makes up tornado alley this spring. The latest tornado hit Joplin, Missouri and killed 90 people so far. The storm is being classified as the 4th deadliest since 1950 record keeping in the U.S.

There has been a pretty disturbing video taken of a group of people at a store as the tornado hits. The audio in this video being a good example of just how terrifying a tornado experience really is. Watch the video below, the winds really pick up at about 2:00 as you hear the glass breaking in the store, and at 3:00 the tornado seems to pass right overtop of them. We can only hope for the best as this spring turns out to be one of the worst in tornado history.

All About Japan

12 Mar

In the wake of the recent events in Japan, I was inspired to share some of my favorite short films and videos about Japan. As the death toll pushes into the thousands, I know that the Japanese people will remain strong and push onward through this tough moment in their history. With strong memories of Japan, I was lucky to experience the culture, food, and the people of this wonderful country one warm summer back in 2009. From hiking in the beautiful mountains, early morning Tsukiji sushi stops, riding the Nozomi trains, and meeting cool people in every city, it is a place I always wanted to go back to. Japan has contributed so much to the world, and they are an amazingly friendly, compassionate, respectful and creative people.

Check out some of these videos all about Japan.

A fantastic portrayal of a day in the busy capital city of Tokyo.

Great video by MylesInLondon.

I have to put the dancing storm trooper in Tokyo video up here too.

Another great video by markusman25.

Tsunami Aftermath Photos Rolling In

11 Mar

With aftershocks still rumbling off the coast of Japan. It is only now that more accurate information is coming in. With the earthquake occurring in the late afternoon Friday in Japan, it is still less than 24 hours since it all began. Much of the initial disaster relief was carried out long into the night in Japan, and now as morning arrives, photos and data are emerging. Here are the latest highlights:

-Casualties are surpassing the 1000 death mark.

-Evacuations continue around the The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which has crews struggling to cool down the reactor.

-Hawaii appears to be relatively unscathed by the tsunami.

-The first waves have already hit the west coast of North America, some damage is being reported in areas in Oregon and Northern California.

-Subway/Transit systems are down in Tokyo, stranding millions.

-Narita International and other Tokyo Airports remain closed.

-The U.S, China, United Nations, and European Union have already spoken up offering relief and support along with other countries.

-Twitter is reporting that up to 1000 tweets per minute were streaming from Tokyo alone.

-The earthquake was thousands of times larger than the earthquake in New Zealand recently.

-Early warning systems were activated minutes before the tremor, and before the tsunami hit Japan.

Powerful images are also surfacing. The following are courtesy of National Geographic, Time and CNN.

There is also growing galleries of images at Time Magazine, National Geographic, CNN, and the BBC.

8.9 Earthquake in Japan: Tsunami Videos

11 Mar

1:47am, March 11, 2011. Many in North America will be waking up to news of the earthquake in Japan. The 8.9 magnitude quake was measured by the U.S Geological Survey, with an epicenter 373 kilometers from Tokyo, according to CNN coverage. This massive earthquake comes just a day after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Japan’s Honshu island. To put this recent quake in perspective, the largest ever recorded earthquake was measured at 9.5 in Chile in 1960.

The earthquake has been said to last for minutes, and could be felt throughout the region. And although tsunami warnings were quickly issued for over 20 countries, it was little warning for the walls of water that are hitting Japan. The process of issuing warnings can offer little help to those areas which would be affected by a tsunami by a tsunami 30 minutes after an earthquake. According to BBC, the waves moved at speeds up to 800km/hr. [Update 3:07am: Tsunami warnings are now being issued as far as Hawaii, and the west coast of the U.S.] Shocking footage of the resulting waves are coming in as media from around the world is covering the story. If you haven’t already seen, you need to watch these videos:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2011/03/11/sot.tsunami.hit.japan.cnn?hpt=T1

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2011/03/11/sot.tsunami.hit.japan.cnn?hpt=T1

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2011/03/11/sot.tsunami.hit.japan.cnn?hpt=T1

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2011/03/11/sot.tsunami.hit.japan.cnn?hpt=T1

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2011/03/11/sot.tsunami.hit.japan.cnn?hpt=T1

Uncontacted Tribes: First Video

6 Feb

You may remember the images that appeared a couple years ago of one of the last uncontacted tribes. Deep in the Amazon of Brazil, photos were taken from an airplane of the tribe recently discovered. Their brightly painted bodies amidst the jungle appeared in news sources around the world. Now the first video has been released of that very same tribe. On February 4, 2011, the amazing video was released.

More can be read about them here: http://www.uncontactedtribes.org

Uncontacted or lost tribes are not entirely new. There are different variations of such tribes in remote areas around the globe. Currently, Brazil leads the world with as many as 67 uncontacted tribes according to a 2007 report.

Remote islands in the Andaman Sea host at least 2 tribes known as the Sentinelese. They have apparently violently avoided contact attempts by the Indian government, and have since been left alone. Recent helicopter surveys suggest their population at 250, and they are believed to have lived there for 60000 years.

The last uncontacted aboriginal people in Australia, Mexico, and the United States are believed to have made contact in the 20th century, as late as 1984 in Australia. While such tribes are believed to exist in New Guinea, Peru, Ecuador, Columbia, Bolivia, Suriname, Paraguay, Guyana, French Guiana, and Venezuela as well.

It is clear that watching this video, and seeing these images stirs a unique fascination among us. Maybe its the idea that a people can live without ever seeing or witnessing the civilized world for so long. In the heavily developed world, its hard to imagine that this is even possible. Or maybe it’s because we think we have explored everything, we know everything, there is no new discoveries left in the world. Stories like this tempt our minds to question what we know.

Electric and Compacts: They Are Here

1 Nov

So maybe you’ve noticed them on the streets already, or maybe your city has been plastered with billboards of them, there’s no denying, a new era of the automobile has arrived. Who ever believes that all North Americans drive hummers and other excessively large SUV’s is still living that 2002 generalisation. It was hardly true then, and its definitely not true now, its 2010! Let it go.

North American society is ready for the change, then again, it always was. Because after all, nobody wants to intentionally damage the environment, they just never had the opportunity for change. It is evident the worlds auto manufacturers have built it, and yes the people, they are coming.

It appears that things are fast changing, the streets are filled with the likes of Juke’s, Cubes, and Mini’s. And the CRZ’s, Leaf’s, Cruze’s, and Volt’s are on the way. It’s true, insanely small engine, hybrid, diesel, or full electric cars are fast replacing the fleets of models that ruled the streets before. And they’ve come with a variety of entertaining media campaigns!

 

Home

7 Oct

I just finished watching a documentary called ‘Home’. It’s a film about our home, not the roof over your head but the planet you live in, earth. I sat in my dark living room learning about our planets extraordinary beginnings, and its progression through its own life. Then came humans, you and I, and as the music and images build tension, you start to lose faith in the role of mankind. The film paints a gloomy picture of the effects of humans on the planet, and it builds up to a climax where you think the film couldn’t get any more depressing. But luckily there is a turning point in this film, as the good things that mankind has done, and can do are outlined, leaving you with a spark of hope in a dreary mind.

Here is some of the good and the bad, according to the film:

Over 50% of the grain traded around the world is used as livestock feed or biofuels.

13 million hectares of forest disappear every year.

100L of water produces 1kg of potatoes, 4000L produces 1kg of rice, 13000L produced 1kg of beef.

Since 1950, fishing catches have increased from 18 million to 100 million metric tonnes per year.

The average global temperature in the last 15 years is the highest on record.

1 in 10 rivers in the world no longer reach their delta’s for months at a time due to heavy irrigation.

95% of soybeans produced in Brazil are used to feed livestock and poultry in Europe and Asia.

3/4 of the varieties of crop developed through mankind’s history have been wiped out.

Antarctica has immense natural resources which no country can use for themselves.

2% of the worlds territorial waters are protected, not much, but thats 2 times more than 10 years ago.

13% of the continents of the world are covered in natural parks.

South Korea restored 65% of its depleted forests through reforestation.

The U.S, China, India, Germany and Spain are the biggest investors in renewable energy.

Although the dialogue and text may be a little rough around the edges, the imagery is stunning, and the message is important and clear. We must change.

 

180South: Impressions

7 Sep

Can challenging yourself, both physically and mentally drive you to change, inspire others to change, and to view the world differently? In 180 South, Jeff Johnson embarks on an epic journey for adventure, and also a journey to save one of the largest untouched wilderness spaces on the planet; Patagonia.

This documentary by Woodshed Films chronicles Jeff Johnson as he follows in the footsteps of a similar 1968 journey that his inspirational friends; Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins did long ago. The goal is to reach Patagonia in South America, and try to save this majestic wilderness from encroaching development. It is through this journey of sailboats, surfboards and rock climbing that the deeper meaning of conserving not only Patagonia, but the entire planet is revealed. And the ultimate question is presented to ourselves as society; can we simplify our lives?

Whether you think these guys are a bunch of hippy surf bums or not, this film definitely gets you thinking. And it also features some amazing videography and original music. The website www.180south.com is also fantastic and a great resource in addition to the film with some cool wallpapers and music to boot. Check out the trailer below, its 180 South, and its worth a watch.

Sydney Plagued by Dust Storm

22 Sep

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Karen from Dulwich Hill, in Sydney’s inner west, says she woke up to find the red dust had covered her floors and birds had been blown out of their nests.

“It did feel like Armageddon because when I was in the kitchen looking out the skylight, there was this red, red glow coming through,” she said.

According to witnesses reporting to ABC news in Australia today, its an eerie feeling of Armageddon sweeping across parts of New South Wales including Sydney. You can read the article here.

It is already September 23, 2009 in Australia, and residents in Sydney woke up to something quite surreal this morning when they took a look outside. A dust storm is currently covering the city and is expected to last for most of the day. With a rush of photos emerging on facebook, blogs, and media websites currently, the city looks more like images from mars than the sunny coastal city that most people know Sydney to be.

Winds up to 100km/hr have been pushing red dust from inland Australia to the east coast, blanketing the city in a redish tinge. There has been a spike in calls for emergency services from people with breathing difficulties, ferries have been disrupted and international flights  being cancelled and diverted is causing chaos for passengers. The storm is only expected to get worse, with current winds in the city at 60km/hr but expected to gust up to 100km/hr later in the day.

And exclusive to fivepuddles.com are some photos taken recently in Sydney. Thanks to my friend Teall for these.

Giant Jellyfish: The Invasion!

19 Jul

Sounds like a cheesy horror flick, but fake this is not.

Nomura Jellyfish can grow up to 2m in diameter and weigh 220kg, making them one of the largest in the oceans. Habitat is primarily located in the waters between Japan and China in the Yellow and East China Sea. So whats the story with these things? Well the population of these jellyfish has been exploding, with problematic bursts in the last few years. Large groups of these jellyfish drift towards Japan and can wreak havoc on the fishing industry in Japan, destroying nets and causing real economic damage to Japan’s communities which rely on fishing as their primary industry.

2005 and 2007 saw large numbers of the Nomura drift into Japanese waters, and this summer they are gathering for another invasion of Japan, with sightings in the Sea of Japan recently.

Check the article: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/07/19/japan.jellyfish/index.html

It is not clear what is causing the population explosion of these jellyfish, ideas range from increased nutrients from China’s agriculture and hydro industry being leaked into the coastal water, overfishing of predator species, and increasing ocean temperatures.

Being a diver myself, I have yet to encounter one of these, and I’m not so sure I want to. The whole scenario sounds like a great idea for another Monster vs Japan flick, in some long awaited sequal to the Godzilla days.

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