Sydney Opera House, Australia, originally uploaded by blather.
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Looks a lot different up close!

The Sydney Opera House is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site on June 28, 2007. Based on the competition winning entry by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the Sydney Opera House is one of the world's most distinctive 20th century buildings, and one of the most famous performing arts venues in the world. It is situated on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, close to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The building and its surroundings are one of the best known icons of Australia. (wikipedia)

Posted by Dave at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ha'penny Bridge, Dublin, originally uploaded by blather.
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I took this as a long exposure on the railing of the boardwalk, praying the hordes of soccer louts beating seven shades of shite out of each other would fail to notice me. My prayers were answered.

The Ha'penny Bridge, known later for a time as the Penny Ha'penny Bridge, is a pedestrian bridge built in 1816 over the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland. Originally called the Wellington Bridge (after the Duke of Wellington), the name of the bridge changed to Liffey Bridge, its official name to this day. It is still commonly known as the Ha'penny Bridge. The toll itself was dropped in 1919; before this there were turnstiles either end of it.
Irish Architecture »

Ha'penny Bridge, Dublin, originally uploaded by blather.
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Posted by Dave at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Waving for the camera - Busy Pedestrian Crossing at Shibuya, Tok, originally uploaded by blather.

A French tourist waves for the cameras at the scramble crossing at Hachiko Square Shibuya, reportedly the world's busiest pedestrian crossing. It's surrounded by video screens, giving a very Bladerunner feel. It's overlooked by one of the busiest Starbucks cafes in the world, from where this photograph was taken. The crossing also features in a scene from Lost in Translation with Bill Murray and Scarlet Johansson.

Posted by Dave at 8:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yushin Whale meat shop, Asakusa, Tokyo, originally uploaded by blather.
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Yushin wale meat shop Asakusa, Tokyo. In the photograph you can see a toy whale perched a shelf containing tinned whale meat, selling for about US$4-6. In the background left is a potential customer and child. To the right is a member of staff.

Next door is a whale meat restaurant, also called Yushin. The meat for both premises comes from the factory vessel Nisshin Maru, which carries out controversial "scientific whaling research" in the Southern Ocean every year, killing hundreds of whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. After the whaling fleet arrive back in Japan, the whale meat is sold off to shops like Yushin. Critics, such as Greenpeace, say that the scientific research programme is really just commercial whaling in disguise.

Japanese government to investigate whale meat scandal »

Yushin Whale meat shop, Asakusa, Tokyo, originally uploaded by blather.
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Yushin Whale meat shop, Asakusa, Tokyo, originally uploaded by blather.

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Yushin Whale meat shop, Asakusa, Tokyo, originally uploaded by blather.

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Yushin Whale meat restaurant, Asakusa, Tokyo, originally uploaded by blather.
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Whale meat restaurant in Shinjuku, Tokyo, originally uploaded by blather.
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Posted by Dave at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Irei no Izumi, Soul Comforting Spring at Yasukuni Shrine, Tokyo, originally uploaded by blather.
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Irei no Izumi, Soul Comforting Spring is dedicated to those who died of thirst in battle situations. It's within the Yasukuni Shrine complex in Tokyo.

Yasukuni Shrine, originally named Tokyo Shokonsha was constructed in June 1869 by order of the Meiji Emperor to commemorate soldiers who had died in the Boshin War and had fought on the side of the Restoration. At that time it was one of several dozen such shrines built throughout Japan. In 1879, the shrine was renamed Yasukuni Jinja and became one of the principal shrines associated with State Shinto as well as the primary national shrine for commemorating Japan's war dead. The name Yasukuni, a quotation from Zuo Zhuan (a classical-era Chinese text), literally means "Pacifying the Nation" and was chosen by the Meiji Emperor.[8] The shrine has performed Shinto rites to house the kami (spirits) of all Japanese and former colonial subjects (Korean and Taiwanese) and civilians who died while participating in the nation's conflicts until the end of the US occupation of Japan in 1951.

Posted by Dave at 9:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yushima Seido Confucian Temple, Tokyo, originally uploaded by blather.
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Yushima Seido located in the Yushima neighbourhood of Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan, was constructed by Hayashi Razan as a Confucian temple in the Genroku era of the Edo period (end of the 17th century). It was closed in it was closed in 1871 after the Meiji Restoration.

Apparently it was used as a location in the TV series Monkey during the 1970s, and today is used as a place of prayer for students studying for exams.

Wikipedia »

Posted by Dave at 9:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Malahide Castle, Co. Dublin, originally uploaded by blather.
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Malahide Castle is a Norman structure in north county Dublin, Ireland. et on 250 acres of park land in the pretty seaside town of Malahide, was both a fortress and a private home for nearly eight hundred years. The Talbot family lived here from 1185 to 1973, when the last Lord Talbot died.

The house is furnished with beautiful period furniture together with an extensive collection of Irish portrait paintings, mainly from the National Gallery. The history of the Talbot family is recorded in the Great Hall, with portraits of generations of the family telling their own story of Ireland's stormy history. One of the more poignant legends concerns the morning of the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, when fourteen members of the family breakfasted together in this room, never to return, as all were dead by nightfall.

The castle is open to the public.Radiohead and Neil Young are playing there this summer!


Malahide Castle's Ghosts

As befits the oldest inhabited castle in Ireland, Malahide Castle has many ghostly traditions. Many historic castles and houses have one ghost, some have two or three, but Malahide Castle has five. Fist there is the spectre of young Lord Galtrim, Sir Walter Hussey, son of the Baron of Galtrim, who in the 15th Century was killed in battle on his wedding day. This Lord Galtrim wanders through the Castle at night pointing to the spear wound in his side and uttering dreadful groans. He is supposed to haunt the Castle to show his resentment towards his young bride, who married his rival immediately after he had given up his life in defence of her honour and happiness.

The second spectre is that of the Lady Maud Plunkett who does not appear as she did on the day of her marriage to Lord Galtrim, but as she looked when she married her third husband, a Lord Chief Justice. At this time she had become notorious as an un-equalled virago, and in her ghostly appearances chases her husband through the corridors of the Castle.
The third ghost is that of the Chief Justice himself, who merely appears to furnish his spectral spouse with an opportunity of taking a little nocturnal exercise.

The fourth ghost is more interesting, historically speaking and is that of Miles Corbett, the Roundhead to whom Cromwell gave the Castle and property during his protectorate. At the Restoration Miles was deprived of his property and made to pay the penalty of the many crimes he had committed during his occupancy, and which included the desecration of the chapel of the old abbey near the Castle. He was hanged, drawn and quartered and when his ghost first appears it seems to be a perfectly whole soldier in armour, but then falls into four pieces before the eyes of anyone who has the unpleasant experience of meeting it.

The story of the fifth ghost has a certain amount of pathos. In the 16th Century, as befitted a family of importance, the Talbots always had a jester among their retinue of attendants. One of these jesters, "Puck" by name, fell in love with a kinswoman of Lady Elenora Fitzgerald, who was detained at the Castle by Henry VIII because of her rebel tendencies. On a snowy December night the jester was found close to the walls of the Castle stabbed through the heart, a tragic figure in his gay jester suit and cap and bells. Before he died he swore an oath that he would haunt the Castle until a master reigned who choose a bride from the people, but would harm no one if a male Talbot slept under the roof.

Poor little Puck and his last appearance were reported during the sale of the contents of the Castle in May 1976. His little dwarf figure makes its appearance in many photographs of the Castle and one outstanding photograph shows his old bewitching and wrinkled face peering out of the ivy on the wall. The Castle with its 800 year old family history is haunted with many unseen and unknown spirits and their presence is felt in every room.
From the official Malahide Castle website

Malahide Castle, Co. Dublin, originally uploaded by blather.
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Malahide Castle, Co. Dublin, originally uploaded by blather.
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Malahide Castle, Co. Dublin, originally uploaded by blather.
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Malahide Castle, Co. Dublin, originally uploaded by blather.
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Malahide Castle, Co. Dublin, originally uploaded by blather.
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Malahide Castle, Co. Dublin, originally uploaded by blather.
Download high resolution photograph of Malahide Castle »

Malahide Castle, Co. Dublin, originally uploaded by blather.
Download high resolution photograph of Malahide Castle »

Malahide Castle, Co. Dublin, originally uploaded by blather.
Download high resolution photograph of Malahide Castle »

Malahide Castle, Co. Dublin, originally uploaded by blather.
Download high resolution photograph of Malahide Castle »

Malahide Castle, Co. Dublin, originally uploaded by blather.
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Posted by Dave at 9:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Harpist Brenda Malloy busking outside Trinity College Dublin, originally uploaded by blather.
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Harpist Brenda Malloy busking outside Trinity College Dublin. I took this photograph for a magazine in Washington DC., but was rushing to another meeting plus a friendly german man approached me to talk cameras.. I didn't get a chance to talk to the harpist, so I didn't know her name. However, I realised later that I had a contact on flickr that is a harpist, so I emailed her, hoping she might know the College Green musician.

Typically, "Diogenes 24" on flickr.com turned out to be the very person I'd photographed - Brenda Malloy!

Posted by Dave at 4:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Shinjuku Skyscrapers - Sompo Japan Head Office, originally uploaded by blather.

The 200-metre high Sompo Japan Head Office in Shinjuku's skyscraper district, with pedestrians crossing a bridge and two pigeons keeping watch. The building was completed in 1976 and designer by Uchida Shozo.

Posted by Dave at 8:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No Buñueling, please., originally uploaded by blather.

This reminds me of Luis Buñuel's Le Chien Andalou »


Warning sign on Tokyo Metro - Do your make up at home! From my experience of the crowds rush hour Tokyo, anyone who can do make up on the train deserves an award!

Posted by Dave at 9:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pachinko Players, Shinjuku, Tokyo, originally uploaded by blather.

Pachinko Players, Shinjuku, Tokyo. The noise from theses places is incredible - I don't know how the people inside can deal with it. Seems like a bit of a national addiction!

There are several kinds of pachinko machines and parlor regulations, but most of them conform to a similar style of play. Players purchase metal balls which are then shot into the machine from a ball tray with the purpose of attempting to win more balls. The pachinko machine has a digital slot machine on a large screen in the center of its layout, and the objective is to ge three numbers or symbols in a row - striking the jackpot.

Posted by Dave at 5:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Shinjuku Skyline, Tokyo, originally uploaded by blather.

"Join us in a clean, fresh
environment featuring the
invigorating Johnson and
Murikami California Climate!
(WE NEED YOU YOU you you you)
Enjoy the numerous recreation
areas and resorts such as the
famous Elysium Crater Resort!

Let our abundant man-made labour
force cater to your personal needs!

If you meet health and experience
qualifications for the Offworld
Emmigration Programs... the
standard OPE short form... there's
a place for you at Dominguez and
Shimata Colonies.

Press the button now!

Give yourself a brand new world!"

Bladerunner »

Shinjuku Skyline, Tokyo's skyscraper district. I took this from a 12th floor apartment belonging to a friend. Shinjuku is Tokyo's ommercial and administrative center, housing the busiest train station in the world (Shinjuku Station), and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration center for the government of Tokyo.

Posted by Dave at 3:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Parade with shrine during 2008 Kanda Matsuri festival, Tokyo., originally uploaded by blather.

Parade with shrine during 2008 Kanda Matsuri celebrations, Tokyo carrying a golden mikoshi or shrine. While the parades during even numbered years are nowhere near the magnitude of the odd numbered years, these partipants - born in bred in Kanda (or central Edo, as Tokyo was once known), are known as Edokkos, and they are proud to be known as an energetic, high-spirited community.

The festival is also known as Tenka Matsuri - the Shogun Festival. It is one of the three biggest festival in Japan.This festival was permitted to enter the Edo Castle (the Imperal Palace)in Edo period.

During the festival lots of Mikoshi or portable shrines, are carried by crowds of local people and paraded throughout Kanda and Nihonbasi towns.

Mikoshis are beautiful gold and black lacquer portable versions of the shrine's kamis or deities, taken out on a march through the streets of the town, so that blessings - in the shape of luck and prosperity are given to the area and the people who liver the. The more the mikoshi is shaken, the more blessings the god will give!

Posted by Dave at 5:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Braided river, Denali National Park, Alaska, originally uploaded by blather.

Braided river, Denali National Park, Alaska

In the central plain, seen from Polychrome mountain.

A braided river is one of a number of channel types and has a channel that consists of a network of small channels separated by small and often temporary islands called braid bars or, in British usage, aits or eyots. Braided streams occur in rivers with high slope and/or large sediment load. Braided channels are also typical of environments that dramatically decrease channel depth, and consequently channel velocity, such as river deltas, alluvial fans and peneplains.

Posted by Dave at 6:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tolkat River, Denali National Park, Alaska, originally uploaded by blather.

Tolkat River, Denali National Park, Alaska, a braided river of glacial deposits. Taken near the ranger station, having hopped off the shuttle bus.

Posted by Dave at 6:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Get high resolution version: Mute Swan nesting on the Tolka River, Dublin, originally uploaded by blather. Look underneath the swan - you can see the eggs!

Mute Swan nesting on the Tolka River, Dublin, near Ballybough Bridge or Luke Kelly Bridge, on the road to Fairview. Not sure if this was the male or female - they share the nesting work, tho the male usually stands guard while the female sits. The previous day I had seen both at the nest, but the light wasn't good. There was a batch of large eggs in the clutch - they produce around six eggs, sometimes up to ten or eleven. It takes about 35 days before they hatch - lets hope these ones will be safe from cats and globshitey humans.

Get high resolution version: Mute Swan nesting on the Tolka River, Dublin

Get high resolution version: Mute Swan nesting on the Tolka River, Dublin

Get high resolution version: Mute Swan nesting on the Tolka River, Dublin (left hand side of photo, near the wall)

Get high resolution version: Mute Swan nesting on the Tolka River, Dublin

Posted by Dave at 9:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Get high resolution: Wave breaking over Iceberg, originally uploaded by blather.

Wave breaking over Iceberg in the Southern Ocean. That's a couple of petrels you can see flying by the lower part of the berg, gives a sense of scale.

Posted by Dave at 5:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)