Lighthouse of the Week, June 5-11, 2022: Kyogamisaki, Japan

I haven't visited Japan to see a Lighthouse of the Week for awhile;  so that's where this one is located.  To be more precise, it's on the main island of Honshu, north of Kyoto.  It seems to go by various translated names:  Kyoga Misaki, Kyogamisaki, or Kyougomisaki (as in the site below). 

It's on a high bluff, which you can see in the video at the end of the post. 

Things to do: Kyougomisaki Toudai Lighthouse

This is information from the Lighthouse Directory, which notes that this one of the few Japanese lighthouses with a Fresnel lens.  (You can see that in the pictures.)

"1898. Active; focal plane 148 m (486 ft); three white flashes every 20 s. 12.5 m (41 ft) round stone tower with lantern and gallery centered on a 1-story stone keeper's house. The 1st order Fresnel lens in use is said to be one of only six still functioning in Japan. Entire lighthouse painted white. ...

This beautiful and historic lighthouse stands on one of the most prominent capes of Japan's west coast, commanding a spectacular view and marking the west side of the entrance to Wakasa Bay. The lens has a range of 53 km (33 mi)."

Greenland narwhals at a cross ... roads

 

Greenland native hunters keep hunting narwhals, and they are apparently hunting too many.

The last hunt? Future in peril for ‘the unicorn of the sea’

To be clear, it's the Greenland population that's in trouble;  according to the article, there are an estimated 120,000 narwhals globally (which means the Arctic). 

"Greenland’s government introduced quotas for hunting narwhal for the first time in 2004, and also banned the lucrative export of their tusks. Narwhal meat is now the hunters’ most commercially prized product, and is distributed around the country from the hunting districts to be sold in Facebook groups and supermarkets, where it can fetch 500 Danish kroner (£57) a kilo.

Yet, despite hunting restrictions, populations are plummeting, according to surveys by the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, a government advisory body that monitors the environment. In 2008, surveys estimated there were about 1,900 narwhals in Ittoqqortoormiit, the main hunting location in east Greenland. At the last count in the area, in 2016, the population was put at about 400.

Scientists estimate that today the three hunting sites in the east – Ittoqqortoormiit, Tasiilaq and Kangerlussuaq fjord – have no more than 600 narwhals combined."

What shipwreck hunters dream of

 

If you haven't read about it, a shipwrecks were recently discovered off the coast of Colombia that is loaded with gold and treasure.  Seriously.  The one with the gold and treasure they've known about for some time, but they discovered two more wrecks nearby that were previously unknown.

Now, getting to the treasure constitutes be a problem;  it's very deep (950 meters), and there are competing claims on who would own whatever might get brought to the surface.  Colombia claims it, but the Spanish government say it was their ship, and apparently a group in Bolivia says it was originally their gold.

Sticky.

But still, it's a pretty impressive set of historical ship discoveries.

Colombia shares unprecedented images of treasure-laden wreck

Bill Barr is a supreme example of a political jerk

 

New WP article about Bill Barr's reaction to his handpicked dirtdigger John Durham losing his single case in the "investigation" of the Russian connections to the Trump campaign in 2016.

Bill Barr’s reign of innuendo — unmasked

"But Barr’s argument, that the innuendo Durham spread is “far more important” than proving actual wrongdoing, unmasks Barr’s perverted view of justice. He didn’t tap Durham (or John Bash, who handled the unmasking probe) primarily to prosecute criminal behavior. He launched the inquiries to tell a political “story.”

“Part of this operation is to try to get the real story out,” Barr told Fox News. “And I have said from the beginning, you know, if we can get convictions, if they are achievable, then John Durham will achieve them. But, the other aspect of this is to get the story out.” Bringing a case for such a purpose violates Justice Department policy."

Now, in the Washington Post article that provided the excerpt above, "policy" is linked -- to here. 

And that's a long document.  I looked at it.  As far as I can tell, the part that appears to have been violated is this, particularly the part I underlined.

"9-27.220 - GROUNDS FOR COMMENCING OR DECLINING PROSECUTION

The attorney for the government should commence or recommend federal prosecution if he/she believes that the person's conduct constitutes a federal offense, and that the admissible evidence will probably be sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction, unless (1) the prosecution would serve no substantial federal interest; (2) the person is subject to effective prosecution in another jurisdiction; or (3) there exists an adequate non-criminal alternative to prosecution.

Comment. Evidence sufficient to sustain a conviction is required under Rule 29(a) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, to avoid a judgment of acquittal. Moreover, both as a matter of fundamental fairness and in the interest of the efficient administration of justice, no prosecution should be initiated against any person unless the attorney for the government believes that the admissible evidence is sufficient to obtain and sustain a guilty verdict by an unbiased trier of fact."

So, if Barr thought it was more important to "get the story out" (however twisted and erroneous the story he wanted to get out was" than to secure a conviction, and he hadn't actually determined that there was enough evidence to get a conviction, that would violate this Justice Department policy.

Do you agree?

Heart of the storm

 

If you don't want to see what the inside of a tornado looks like, then don't watch the video in this article.

Rare shot of a tornado's swirling mouth caught by young stormchaser in Florida

If a video is too scary, here's a still capture.

Shaun White's girl

 

Shaun White, Olympic gold medalist snowboarder, has been dating actress Nina Dobrev for a considerable period of time now.  They appear happy together, and I hope, as I do for most relationship, that this is going to lead to long-term happiness and togetherness and all that entails.  Relationships either keep going or end, which can happen before or after marriage, of course.  Breakups can be tough, too.  So I wish the best for them.

Judging by the recent pictures, it appears that Shaun has not had a problem moving from the slopes to the curves.

Looking back at my posting history, it appears that I posted about Nina's curve-negotiating dress from last year's amFAR gala, too. 

Here's a Daily Mail article about the gala, and a picture for demonstration purposes. It's a really good dress.  And Shaun looks quite happy to be next to it/her.

Nina Dobrev flashes ample cleavage in peekaboo scarlet dress as she cuddles up to snowboarder beau Shaun White at amfAR Cannes Gala

The winner's girl

 

Marcus Ericsson of Sweden won last weekend's Indianapolis 500 car race.  As is often the case, his girlfriend was in the pits, which can't be an easy thing to do when at any time in the race your boyfriend/husband could go straight into a wall at around 190 miles per hour, or go flying through the air at nearly the same speed.  Race cars are safer than they used to be, but crazy accidents can still happen, and do.

And in this race, just when it looked like Ericsson was going to cruise to a victory, there was a crash (Jimmie Johnson, the NASCAR crossover) into the wall in a split-second, and that meant that there had to be a red flagged race stoppage, allowing all the chasing cars to get in nice and close, potentially allowing them to pass Marcus and take the checkered flag for themselves.  Dicey.  But Marcus managed to hold the lead and cross the finish line first, allowing everyone in the pits, including his short black dress - wearing girlfriend, to celebrate happily.

All of which made me want to find out who his girlfriend was.  So I did.  Her name is Iris Tritsaris Jondahl, and that's pretty much all I was able to determine. 

Her Instagram page, https://www.instagram.com/irisjooondahl/, has a few more pictures, and also informs us that she's from Greece, which explains the Tritsaris, but not the Jondahl.  

So here are a few pictures of Iris (and one with Marcus).  They went to New York after the race.