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Lawang Sewu - Entering a Thousand Doors
Entering Lawang Sewu through the main door, you are struck by the sight of an elegant stained-glass window at the top of the stairs. The window is both artistic and full of symbolism. Its most prominent feature is two young Dutch girls, with an image of a wheel between them. Suranto (64), the caretaker of this Dutch colonial building, explains the imagery. "Each square in this window represents something. The crown in the upper center is a symbol of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

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Japan earthquake: Tsunami hits north-east
Cars, ships and buildings were swept away by a wall of water after the 8.9-magnitude tremor, which struck about 400km (250 miles) north-east of Tokyo.

A state of emergency has been declared at a nuclear power plant, where pressure has exceeded normal levels.
Officials say 350 people are dead and about 500 missing, but it is feared the final death toll will be much higher.

In one ward alone in Sendai, a port city in Miyagi prefecture, 200 to 300 bodies were found.

[Read More]

History of Deadly Earthquakes
The world's strongest recorded earthquake devastates Chile, with a reading of 9.5 on the Richter scale. A tsunami 30ft (10m) high eliminates entire villages in Chile and kills 61 hundreds of miles away in Hawaii.
1 September 1923

The Great Kanto earthquake, with its epicentre just outside Tokyo, claims the lives of 142,800 people in the Japanese capital.
18 April 1906

[Read More]

Tsunamis
In deep water, the tsunami moves at great speeds. When it reaches shallow water near coastal areas, the tsunami slows but increases in height.

In the devastating tsunami of December 2004, many coastal areas in the Indian Ocean had almost no warning of the approaching tsunami.

[Read More]

Hurricanes
In the Atlantic and eastern Pacific they are called hurricanes, but in the western Pacific they are called typhoons.

In the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean they are known as cyclones.

The very warm air from the storm combines with the moist ocean surface and begin rising. This creates low pressure at the surface.

[Read More]

Tornadoes
As the ground temperature increases, moist air heats and starts to rise.

When the warm, moist air meets cold dry air, it explodes upwards, puncturing the cooler air above. A thunder cloud may begin to build.

A storm quickly develops and there may be rain, thunder and lightning.
[Read More]
The Arctic
The Arctic’s climate has been changing. Spring thaws are earlier. Fall freeze-ups are later. Sea ice is shrinking. Unfamiliar species of plants and animals are appearing. Intense storms are more frequent.
The Arctic is the Earth’s northernmost region. Mostly comprised of ocean, the Arctic can be defined in many ways. Among them:
Arctic Circle
An imaginary line around the Earth at 66° 33’ N above which the sun does not completely set on the summer solstice.

[Read More]



Lawang Sewu - Entering a Thousand Doors

Setting foot in Lawang Sewu, Semarang, you sense not only the remnants of a bygone beauty, but also a mystical atmosphere. 


Entering Lawang Sewu through the main door, you are struck by the sight of an elegant stained-glass window at the top of the stairs. The window is both artistic and full of symbolism. Its most prominent feature is two young Dutch girls, with an image of a wheel between them. Suranto (64), the caretaker of this Dutch colonial building, explains the imagery. "Each square in this window represents something. The crown in the upper center is a symbol of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The wheel between the two girls symbolizes the railroad. Below the wheel, these sheets are meant to be Javanese batik."

On this clear morning, the sunlight illuminates the window, sharpening its colors, and fills the space with a gentle warmth. Lovely.

Beyond the stained-glass window lies the office of the head of the Dutch colonial railroad. Suranto, familiarly called Mbah (Grandpa) Ranto, refers to it as "the Commander's room". It's well ventilated and very comfortable, with a good view of the city park from its balcony.
Given its stunningly unique architecture, it's not surprising to learn that it took three years and hundreds of local workers to build it.

The Railroad Building
NV Nederlandsch-Indische Spoorweg-Maatschappij (NIS), the Netherlands Indies Railroad Company, was the pioneer of Indonesia's railroads. On 17 June 1864, NIS began construction of the Semarang-Yogyakarta railway line, with the first shovelful dug by the Netherlands Indies Governor General, Sloet van den Beele.

This increased activity meant that NIS needed a new, more suitable office for the related administrative work. The location they chose was at the end of Jalan Bojong (now Jalan Pemuda). According to the official history of PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI), the building, located at the intersection of Jalan Pandanaran, Jalan Dr. Soetomo and Jalan Soegijapranata, was designed by the architect Ir. P. de Rieau.
Several of the building's blueprints are extant, including A 387 Ned. Ind. Spoorweg Maatschappij made in February 1902, A 388 E Idem Lengtedoorsnede (September 1902), and A 541 NISM Semarang Voorgevel Langevlenel (1903), all drawn up in Amsterdam. But Sloet van den Beele died before the construction began. The Dutch government then appointed Prof. Jacob K. Klinkhamer and BJ Oudang to handle construction of the NIS building in Semarang, referring to Dutch architectural style.

Apparently, the building site's location at the end of an intersection inspired the two architects to create a building with several wings: a main building, a left wing, and a right wing, in a style that was then quite modern, a forerunner of the art deco style that became popular between the World Wars.

Before construction began, the entire building site was excavated to a depth of four meters. The excavated space was then filled in with volcanic sand from Gunung Merapi. The foundation was laid starting on 27 February 1904, using heavy cement construction, and upon that was erected a wall of split stones. All the main building materials were brought from Europe, apart from bricks, mountain stones, and teak wood. The building now called "Lawang Sewu" was inaugurated on 1 July 1907.

The building, which still belongs to the Indonesian state railroad company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (PT KAI), served as the head office of Jawatan Kereta Api Indonesia immediately after independence. It was then used as the office of the Infrastructure Agency of Regional Military Command IV/Diponegoro, and then, until 1994, as the Central Java Regional Office of the Department of Transportation. Since then, Lawang Sewu has been empty, occupied only by four consecutive caretakers, of whom Suranto is one of them.

Typical Dutch Drainage
The Dutch are famous for their excellent water management; they plan ahead to prevent floods even where none have ever occurred. This building is equipped with such a drainage system. Below the building are empty cavities always ready to accommodate rainwater. These spaces are connected to one another, and then flow to the river leading to the sea. These culverts are not small-scale ones that tend to clog; they are large enough for people to walk through, and were regularly maintained.
The twin towers on the building are rainwater cisterns, which supplied all the building's water needs.

A Thousand Doors
According to Mbah Ranto, there are 53 main rooms and several large halls, not including toilets, electrical control panels, and the canteen, in the building's three blocks. I tried to count the doorways in one of the smallest rooms; there were five, and each doorway has on average four doors.
This architectural feature of having many doors in each room served to adapt Dutch architecture to the tropical climate. It's not surprising that each room has five doors, or even more. Having all the doors open provides excellent air circulation and well-distributed natural light. I imagined how cool and comfortable it must have been to work in Lawang Sewu in those pre-air-conditioning days.

It is this abundance of doors that gave the building its present name, Lawang Sewu. In Javanese, lawang means "door" and sewu means "thousand". But are there really a thousand doors? No one has actually tried to count them, but according to one story, if you do try, the number keeps changing: one time it will be 999, and when you count again, 1001.
The difficulty in counting the doors probably arises from the building's complex structure; with so many rooms and hallways all connecting to one another, it's easy to get confused and lose count.

Ghosts at Lawang Sewu
Since it was the railroad company office during the Dutch colonial era, Lawang Sewu was not a military barracks, nor were any independence fighters executed inside it. So why is there such a spooky atmosphere? It began with the Japanese presence.

During the historic five-day battle in Semarang (14-19 October 1945), this old building was the scene of heavy fighting between the young workers of AMKA (Angkatan Muda Kereta Api, Railroad Young Generation) and the Japanese secret police (kempetai) and shock troops (kidobutai). An untold number of freedom fighters fell here; it is said the river beside the building ran red with blood, from both sides.

Several years later, mystical elements began to be added to the story of this heroic battle. Wandering spirits, ghosts of young Dutch girls, sounds of boots, and spirits inhabiting mango trees became more popular than the actual historical events.

With television programs about the supernatural so popular in Indonesia these days, several TV stations have competed to air shows featuring the mystical side of this old building, and have even "recorded" apparitions of the resident spirits. Since then, the building's haunted reputation has grown, especially since it has been unused and uninhabited for ten years. The building is deteriorating; dusty, leaky, musty and dark. With the once-sturdy wood starting to rot in places, the old building certainly looks haunted.

Many such stories are circulating. It is said, for example, that the wells at Lawang Sewu connect to the South Sea, ruled over by its Queen, Nyi Roro Kidul. Mbah Ranto says this is nonsense. "It's true that the well is up to a kilometer deep, but it doesn't lead anywhere."
Another legend tells of a tunnel built by freedom fighters that leads to a nearby high school, SMA 3, which was then closed up. The caretaker says there is no evidence for this. Though the story claims that the underground drains were used as secret tunnels by the freedom fighters, Mbah Ranto says that the drains that connect to SMA 3 Semarang then lead to the sea, and this arrangement was quite normal for large buildings such as Lawang Sewu in those days.


"Looking at the building's condition, and its history, it's certainly understandable that these ghost stories arise," says Suranto. "But this is a matter of individual opinion. If someone believes in it, feels it, and sees evidence of apparitions, they're entitled to believe in it. However, I've been living around here since the 1970s and I've never seen or felt anything like that, not even on Jum'at Kliwon eve, when mystical things are supposed to happen."

Mbah Ranto feels that it is much more important to view the building in terms of its unique architecture and its historical value, rather than spreading spooky stories and neglecting the building's maintenance. It would be very sad if Lawang Sewu were neglected and seen merely as an old haunted building, with its far more important and exemplary values ignored.



Korea - Eastern Area

Seoul is connected to the scenic east coast by the Yongdong Expressway, which end at Kangnung. Historical sites and colorful everyday scenes are to be seen in the small coastal towns as deep as within the forested mountains of the region, which also boast recreational opportunities at ski resort.
Kangnung
In the city of Kangnung is the historic building Ojuk'on where Yi Yul-gok, the great Confucian scholar of the Choson Dynasty, used to live with his mother, Shin Saimdang. No woman of the Choson Dynasty has more fame as a painter, calligrapher, poet, ideal daughter, wife and mother than Shin Saimdang. Another attractive site is Son-gyojang, a nobleman's mansion constructed about 200 years ago.
This park is divided inti Inner and Outer Sorak by the long and winding ridge. Han-gyeryong Pass. The less rugged outer area stretches east to Sorak-dong village. Other points of interest in the outer area are Pisondae Plateau, named after the legend of an angel ascending to heaven from the plateau, and Osaek Mineral Waters, which are thought by some to bring relief to those suffering from digestive ailments.
Visitors to the Inner area entering from the west via the town of Inje will first visit Paektamsa Temple, which is the other gateway to Mt. Soraksan. [Read More]

Kosong Unification Observatory is located at the most northernly point on the east coast. Here can enjoy an excellent view out over the beautiful mountains, coast and river of North Korea.
It is just south of Mt. Soraksan, is equally beautiful, and it is the site of Wolchongsa Temple, one of the oldest temples of the Shilla Kingdom, and Sangwonsa Temple, famous for its bronze bell cast in 725 A.D. [Read More]

At the southern end of the coastal highway is the famous Mt. Chuwangsan National Park. The park is favored by those who want to get away from the more popular-and thus more crowded-areas.[Read More]


Ullungdo Island
Lying 268km northeast of P'ohang, rises steeply from East Sea. This island, the site of an extinct volcano, has two small villages of hardly fisher-folk. Though the terrain is steep and rocky, Ullungdo is a lush isle in summer, and its surrounding crystal clear waters are beautiful.



Marine Biology


Marine biology is the scientific study of organisms in the ocean or other marine or brackish bodies of water. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather than on taxonomy. Marine biology differs from marine ecology as marine ecology is focused on how organisms interact with each other and the environment, and biology is the study of the organisms themselves.

Marine life is a vast resource, providing food, medicine, and raw materials, in addition to helping to support recreation and tourism all over the world. At a fundamental level, marine life helps determine the very nature of our planet. Marine organisms contribute significantly to the oxygen cycle, and are involved in the regulation of the Earth's climate. Shorelines are in part shaped and protected by marine life, and some marine organisms even help create new land.

Marine biology covers a great deal, from the microscopic, including most zooplankton and phytoplankton to the huge cetaceans (whales) which reach up to a reported 48 meters (125 feet) in length.

The habitats studied by marine biology include everything from the tiny layers of surface water in which organisms and abiotic items may be trapped in surface tension between the ocean and atmosphere, to the depths of the oceanic trenches, sometimes 10,000 meters or more beneath the surface of the ocean. It studies habitats such as coral reefs, kelp forests, tidepools, muddy, sandy and rocky bottoms, and the open ocean (pelagic) zone, where solid objects are rare and the surface of the water is the only visible boundary.

A large amount of all life on Earth exists in the oceans. Exactly how large the proportion is unknown, since many ocean species are still to be discovered. While the oceans comprise about 71% of the Earth's surface, due to their depth they encompass about 300 times the habitable volume of the terrestrial habitats on Earth.

Many species are economically important to humans, including food fish. It is also becoming understood that the well-being of marine organisms and other organisms are linked in very fundamental ways. The human body of knowledge regarding the relationship between life in the sea and important cycles is rapidly growing, with new discoveries being made nearly every day. These cycles include those of matter (such as the carbon cycle) and of air (such as Earth's respiration, and movement of energy through ecosystems including the ocean). Large areas beneath the ocean surface still remain effectively unexplored.

Lifeforms
Microscopic life
Microscopic life undersea is incredibly diverse and still poorly understood. For example, the role of viruses in marine ecosystems is barely being explored even in the beginning of the 21st century.

The role of phytoplankton is better understood due to their critical position as the most numerous primary producers on Earth. Phytoplankton are categorized into cyanobacteria (also called blue-green algae/bacteria), various types of algae (red, green, brown, and yellow-green), diatoms, dinoflagellates, euglenoids, coccolithophorids, cryptomonads, chrysophytes, chlorophytes, prasinophytes, and silicoflagellates.

Zooplankton tend to be somewhat larger, and not all are microscopic. Many Protozoa are zooplankton, including dinoflagellates, zooflagellates, foraminiferans, and radiolarians. Some of these (such as dinoflagellates) are also phytoplankton; the distinction between plants and animals often breaks down in very small organisms. Other zooplankton include cnidarians, ctenophores, chaetognaths, molluscs, arthropods, urochordates, and annelids such as polychaetes. Many larger animals begin their life as zooplankton before they become large enough to take their familiar forms. Two examples are fish larvae and sea stars (also called starfish).

Plants and algae
Plant life is widespread and very diverse under the ocean. Microscopic photosynthetic algae contribute a larger proportion of the worlds photosynthetic output than all the terrestrial forests combined. Most of the niche occupied by sub plants on land is actually occupied by macroscopic algae in the ocean, such as Sargassum and kelp, which are commonly known as seaweeds that creates kelp forests. The non algae plants that survive in the sea are often found in shallow waters, such as the seagrasses (examples of which are eelgrass, Zostera, and turtle grass, Thalassia). These plants have adapted to the high salinity of the ocean environment. The intertidal zone is also a good place to find plant life in the sea, where mangroves or cordgrass or beach grass might grow. Microscopic algae and plants provide important habitats for life, sometimes acting as hiding and foraging places for larval forms of larger fish and invertebrates.

Marine invertebrates
As on land, invertebrates make up a huge portion of all life in the sea. Invertebrate sea life includes Cnidaria such as jellyfish and sea anemones; Ctenophora; sea worms including the phyla Platyhelminthes, Nemertea, Annelida, Sipuncula, Echiura, Chaetognatha, and Phoronida; Mollusca including shellfish, squid, octopus; Arthropoda including Chelicerata and Crustacea; Porifera; Bryozoa; Echinodermata including starfish; and Urochordata including sea squirts or tunicates.

Fish
Fish have evolved very different biological functions from other large organisms. Fish anatomy includes a two-chambered heart, operculum, swim bladder, scales, fins, lips, eyes and secretory cells that produce mucous. Fish breathe by extracting oxygen from water through their gills. Fins propel and stabilize the fish in the water.

Well known fish include: sardines, anchovy, ling cod, clownfish (also known as anemonefish), and bottom fish which include halibut or ling cod. Predators include sharks and barracuda.

Reptiles
Reptiles which inhabit or frequent the sea include sea turtles, sea snakes, terrapins, the marine iguana, and the saltwater crocodile. Most extant marine reptiles, except for some sea snakes, are oviparous and need to return to land to lay their eggs. Thus most species, excepting sea turtles, spend most of their lives on or near land rather than in the ocean. Despite their marine adaptations, most sea snakes prefer shallow waters not far from land, around islands, especially waters that are somewhat sheltered, as well as near estuaries. Some extinct marine reptiles, such as ichthyosaurs, evolved to be viviparous and had no requirement to return to land.

Seabirds
Seabirds are species of birds adapted to living in the marine environment, examples including albatross, penguins, gannets, and auks. Although they spend most of their lives in the ocean, species such as gulls can often be found thousands of miles inland.

Marine Mammals
There are five main types of marine mammals.
  • Cetaceans include toothed whales (Suborder Odontoceti), such as the Sperm Whale, dolphins, and porpoises such as the Dall's porpoise. Cetaceans also include baleen whales (Suborder Mysticeti), such as the Gray Whale, Humpback Whale, and Blue Whale.
  • Sirenians include manatees, the Dugong, and the extinct Steller's Sea Cow.
  • Seals (Family Phocidae), sea lions (Family Otariidae - which also include the fur seals), and the Walrus (Family Odobenidae) are all considered pinnipeds.
  • The Sea Otter is a member of the Family Mustelidae, which includes weasels and badgers.
  • The Polar Bear (Family Ursidae) is sometimes considered a marine mammal because of its dependence on the sea.

Oceanic habitats

Reefs
Reefs comprise some of the densest and most diverse habitats in the world. The best-known types of reefs are tropical coral reefs which exist in most tropical waters; however, reefs can also exist in cold water. Reefs are built up by corals and other calcium-depositing animals, usually on top of a rocky outcrop on the ocean floor. Reefs can also grow on other surfaces, which has made it possible to create artificial reefs. Coral reefs also support a huge community of life, including the corals themselves, their symbiotic zooxanthellae, tropical fish and many other organisms.

Much attention in marine biology is focused on coral reefs and the El Niño weather phenomenon. In 1998, coral reefs experienced the most severe mass bleaching events on record, when vast expanses of reefs across the world died because sea surface temperatures rose well above normal. Some reefs are recovering, but scientists say that between 50% and 70% of the world's coral reefs are now endangered and predict that global warming could exacerbate this trend.

Deep Sea and Trenches
The deepest recorded oceanic trenches measure to date is the Mariana Trench, near the Philippines, in the Pacific Ocean at 10,924 m (35,838 ft). At such depths, water pressure is extreme and there is no sunlight, but some life still exists. A white flatfish, a shrimp and a jellyfish were seen by the American crew of the bathyscaphe Trieste when it dove to the bottom in 1960.

Other notable oceanic trenches include Monterey Canyon, in the eastern Pacific, the Tonga Trench in the southwest at 10,882 m (35,702 ft), the Philippine Trench, the Puerto Rico Trench at 8,605 m (28,232 ft), the Romanche Trench at 7,760 m (24,450 ft), Fram Basin in the Arctic Ocean at 4,665 m (15,305 ft), the Java Trench at 7450 m (24,442 ft), and the South Sandwich Trench at 7,235 m (23,737 ft).

In general, the deep sea is considered to start at the aphotic zone, the point where sunlight loses its power of transference through the water. Many life forms that live at these depths have the ability to create their own light a unique evolution known as bio-luminescence.

Marine life also flourishes around seamounts that rise from the depths, where fish and other sea life congregate to spawn and feed. Hydrothermal vents along the mid-ocean ridge spreading centers act as oases, as do their opposites, cold seeps. Such places support unique biomes and many new microbes and other lifeforms have been discovered at these locations.

Open ocean
The open ocean is relatively unproductive because of a lack of nutrients, yet because it is so vast, in total it produces the most primary productivity. Much of the aphotic zone's energy is supplied by the open ocean in the form of detritus. The open ocean consists mostly of jellyfish and its predators such as the mola mola.

Intertidal and shore
Intertidal zones, those areas close to shore, are constantly being exposed and covered by the ocean's tides. A huge array of life lives within this zone.

Shore habitats span from the upper intertidal zones to the area where land vegetation takes prominence. It can be underwater anywhere from daily to very infrequently. Many species here are scavengers, living off of sea life that is washed up on the shore. Many land animals also make much use of the shore and intertidal habitats. A subgroup of organisms in this habitat bores and grinds exposed rock through the process of bioerosion.

Distribution factors
An active research topic in marine biology is to discover and map the life cycles of various species and where they spend their time. Marine biologists study how the ocean currents, tides and many other oceanic factors affect ocean lifeforms, including their growth, distribution and well-being. This has only recently become technically feasible with advances in GPS and newer underwater visual devices.

Most ocean life breeds in specific places, nests or not in others, spends time as juveniles in still others, and in maturity in yet others. Scientists know little about where many species spend different parts of their life cycles. For example, it is still largely unknown where sea turtles and some sharks travel. Tracking devices do not work for some life forms, and the ocean is not friendly to technology. This is important to scientists and fishermen because they are discovering that by restricting commercial fishing in one small area they can have a large impact in maintaining a healthy fish population in a much larger area far away.



Japan Overview

Spilling more than 1,800 miles along the Asian mainland, from Siberia almost to Taiwan, the long string of islands that calls itself Japan is kaleidoscopic in the many faces it presents to the world. Bullet trains, gentle geishas, strutting samurai, grim-faced salarymen. History conjures horrific images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Today, Japan is an economic powerhouse, its technological marvels spanning the globe. The values of Confucius—humility, generosity—may be found everywhere. Still, the great philosopher would surely be mystified by this fabled land of endless contrast.

Geography
Japan is situated in northeastern Asia between the North Pacific and the Sea of Japan. The area of Japan is 377,873 square kilometers, nearly equivalent to Germany and Switzerland combined or slightly smaller than California. Japan consists of four major islands, surrounded by more than 4,000 smaller islands.

The four major islands:
Hokkaido
(northern island)
83,000 square kilometers
Honshu
(main island)
231,000 square kilometers
Shikoku
(smallest island)
19,000 square kilometers
Kyushu
(southern island)
42,000 square kilometers





There is only one official language spoken in Japan, which is of course Japanese. However, many Japanese are able to understand English to a certain extent since English is the foreign language that everyone must learn as part of compulsory education.
[Read more]



History
In order to understand any contemporary society, a knowledge of its history is essential. The following pages present the most general facts of Japanese history. [Read more]


Religion
Shinto and Buddhism are Japan's two major religions. They have been co-existing for several centuries and have even complemented each other to a certain degree. Most Japanese consider themselves Buddhist, Shintoist or both. Religion does not play a big role in the everyday life of most Japanese people today. The average person typically follows the religious rituals at ceremonies like birth, weddings and funerals, may visit a shrine or temple on New Year and participates at local festivals (matsuri), most of which have a religious background.
[Read more]



Tradition
Kimono, Garden, Tea Ceremony, Geisha, Japanese Plum, Sumo, Hanetsuki(Japanese Badminton)...
[Read more]


Arts And Crafts
Architectures, Bonsai, Bunraku(Japan Puppet), Caligraphy, Ikebana, Kabuki, Martial Arts, Music, No Theater, Origami, Poetry, Ukito-e ...
[Read more]



Attraction/SightSeeing
Japan offers a very wide range of attractions, from historical and cultural treasures to modern and futuristic sights and beautiful forests, mountains and sea coasts.[Read more]