OK, this brought tears to my eyes.
All posts by Paul Cipywnyk
Reflections on the A-Bomb Anniversary
There’s been a lot of chat about the anniversary of the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
I have visited Hiroshima several times and Nagasaki once. I have read many accounts of the horrors. I lived in Japan for 14 years and loved it.
But I always was uncomfortable with Japanese denial of any horrors that they perpetrated in the war.
There was never any mention of Japan’s imperialistic invasions of east and south Asia. Or the thousands of so-called “comfort women” of several Asian countries forced into servicing the Japanese army every place it invaded.
Any call for such recognition was met with threats of violence from right-wing Japanese groups, and that continues to this day.
While accurate numbers are hard to establish, the Japanese Imperial Army likely raped, tortured, and killed more civilians in the Nanjing Massacre alone than combined civilian deaths at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The conventional battles of the Pacific at places like Okinawa were also horrific, with a pervasive “fight to the last man” blindness by the Japanese army and marines. The Japanese military pressed local civilians into service, and it’s documented that civilians were forced to commit mass suicide by the Japanese military instead of being allowed to give up.
History is complex and complicated. Times and attitudes are always changing. Is there any point in debating the degree of horror of this massacre, to that genocide, to this bombing, to that. . .
I don’t know. But I believe that mass amnesia and denial is a slippery slope.
Japan has never had a Willy Brandt moment. . .
Sora the Cat Tastes Corn on the Cob
We got our first fresh corn on the cob today, and of course Sora the Rascally Cat had to try it. She’ll try pretty much anything, I don’t think she knows she’s supposed to be a carnivore.
About the only thing she’s turned her nose up at is carrots.
Moody Skies at Porteau Cove
I stopped at Porteau Cove on my way home from a jaunt up the Sea to Sky.
I pretty much always stop there, because. . .
Byrne Creek Herons
There were a couple of herons hanging about at Fraser Foreshore Park near Byrne Creek in south Burnaby, BC, today.
Focusing on Wee Crawlies at Centennial Beach
We roamed some trails at Centennial Beach in Delta, BC, today, and came across lots of crawling and flying little beasts.
Heron Fishing Off New Westminster Boardwalk
We loved watching this heron fishing a few meters off the boardwalk in New Westminster, BC, today. Amazing success in the murky water.
Hovering Bee
We were having a picnic in Ft. Langley, BC, today and this wee bee kept hovering a few meters away. The AF couldn’t find the bee, so I had to manually focus. An SUV’s taillights in the background.
Burnaby Lake Walk ʼn Photo Shoot
We spent a couple of hours at Burnaby Lake in Burnaby, BC, this morning. Toasty in the sun, cool in the forest. Lots of birds and bees and beasts to see!
This Pacific Chorus Frog was about the size of the first joint of my thumb
Love the strider shadows
Salmonid fry in Silver Creek
Heron, hummer, waxwing at Deer Lake
Heron, hummer, and waxwing at Deer Lake in #Burnaby this morning. I got a two-hour walk in before it got too hot.