Well, we have already discussed a bit about when tigers eat men here at Greenpacks. And we know who the most fearsome kittens in the world are, too. Not to mention, which celebrity wants to save the giant feline. Can you say Indiana Jones? But, what happens when man becomes dinner for their cousins, the lion? A mentally-ill man in Zimbabwe was invited to dinner, as the main course, to a pride of lions. Three leg bones, two fingers, three ribs and his private parts were all that were found left of a man who was last seen at a motel. The lions spit out his blood stained clothes.

Get this… a guard saw the whole thing! The guard heard a man scream, then hid somewhere safely, peeped out and watched the lions attack the man and otherwise enjoy a free meal. With guards like that don’t we all feel safe now? It seems that once lions feed on a human, they want dessert, more humans. I think alligators are the same. What did one alligator say to the other? “I like eating people. They are chewy on the outside and crunchy on the inside.”

So, who is responsible when a human finds himself in the way of and on the unexpected dinner menu of lions, and tiger and bears? Oh, my?

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Who’s Looking at Whom?

Those guys down there look like bottom feeders.

Can you find Nemo?

Sky aquarium. Those are two words you might not find in the same sentence, much less right next to one another. There’s a skyscraper in Tokyo, Roppongi Hills that has an aquarium on the 52nd floor. The giant high-living fish tank has over 20,000 fish and 500 different species! Goldfish, Nemo! I don’t get it. Why not bury the skyscraper into the sea, call it a bottom feeder or something along those lines and keep the fish in their natural habitat? I think that was the idea of the fictional Atlantis. Maybe not.

Still, am I the only one wondering what the fish think when they look out of their fish bowl and down 52 stories? Or, am I just thinking too much? So, when have humans gone too far to try and mingle with animals? What do you think?

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Built on the last remaining green space in the city center, ACROS Fukuoka (Asian Crossroads Over the Sea) is an amazing building in Fukuoka City, Japan. It got our attention because it preserves the green space as much as possible, thanks to its stunning design.

On one side it has glass walls and looks just like a conventional office building that looks onto the most important financial street of Fukuoka, while the other side is an enormous green roof (a garden roof) with some 35,000 plants that step down floor-by-floor, in a stratification of low, landscaped terraces into a park.

Argentinian architects Emilio Ambasz & Associates are those with the vision, the looks and actually the whole idea.

Reaching up to 60 meters above the ground, the green roof is responsible to keeping the whole building at lower and constant temperature levels, which will obviously lead to less power consumption.

Many people in the area visit the terrace roof (the gardens) for meditation, relaxation, or for escaping from the congestion of the city. Others are here just for the grand belvedere that provides an incomparable view of the bay of Fukuoka and the surrounding mountains.

These are all great reasons to consider the ACROS Fukuoka a great green architectural success in Japan. Why can’t we see more of these buildings as a solution for a common urban problem? Anyone to call mr. Trump?

Beijing is a city of about 11 million people. Since 2001, in the lead up to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games the city has spent some $8.8 billion to improve its power supply capability. What does the city have to show for it?

1. Total power supply capability is up 124%

2. The city now has 344 transformer sub-stations

3. The sub-stations generate 37,840 kilovolts of power or more.

4. Blackout times per household have decreased by 40%

5. Natural gas transmissions have reached 15.3 billion cubic meters/year UP 400%!

6. Central heating network for the city is 837 km (500+ miles) and 130 million square meters up 100% from 2001.

7. The city’s total heating area is up 70% from 200.

And, of course, the city is burning enough energy to supply all of central Africa. But, then wh0’s comparing? The Games happen in about 2+ weeks. I don’t know about you, but I am betting the Opening Ceremony will definitely be worth watching. China does know how to throw a party even if it doesn’t care about the cost.

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Noise pollution can be expensive, especially if you are the owner of a U. S. Military Base in Japan. A court ordered the Tokyo government to increase compensation for hundreds of residents who must endure the noise from U. S. jets in the area. Guess who Tokyo is going to ask to pay. Tokyo’s high court says 257 residents deserve more than the Y190 million ($1.8 million) they have already been awarded. When the residents were informed, they said, “Huh?!”  The residents were already promised Y160 million.

The court rejected suspension of early morning and late night flights. The court says they have no jurisdiction over the military base and the suit wasn’t filed against the U.S. government…hint, hint.

Japan hosts some 50,000 troops who are accused of making too much noise, committing too much crime and causing environmental pollution. Not to mention the fact that the U.S. presence in the area is important for the balance of power.

Not wanting to be defeated by the ruling to not suspend flights, plaintiffs have pledged to continue to make noise until somebody listens to them.

“We will not be defeated by the ruling, but will continue to raise our voice until it is heard.”

“Huh!?”

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Tokyo will be hosting its 21st International Film Festival from October 18th-26th. Not wanting to be outdone by filmmakers across the big pond to the east, can you say Hollywood?, TIFF has a green theme - “Action! for Earth.” Protection and preservation of the environment will be the common theme of films that are exhibited during the week long event. No red carpet this year either. It’ll be green! That will surely save the world.

 “One of the most urgent problems we now face is protecting the Earth’s environment,” said a press statement. “While many individual films have grappled with how to sustain our environment, no international film festival has yet stopped to champion this issue.”

The festival will take place in Roppongi and Shibuya districts, two areas of Tokyo that probably consumes more energy in a week than all of India does in a year. TIFF says, “We hope that our ideas will resonate far beyond the film community, contributing to the global conversation on our planet’s future.”

We hope they will show their movies using renewable energy sources or not show them at all.

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Hokkaido is Japan’s northernmost main island. The island recently hosted the G-8 Summit at Lake Toya. I know the place, got a speeding ticket there once, which, btw, has nothing to do with this post.

The Wakkanai Alternative and Renewable Energy Study Group and Heiren Energy Inc. are jointly testing a system that will store hydrogen that was produced through electrolysis of water.  Wakkanai sits to the extreme north of Hokkaido. What’s different is that the electricity used to run the project is coming from wind turbines that have been installed in the area. Confusion starts - “The hydrogen will be reacted with toluene to produce an organic hydride, allowing it to be stored in a liquid state at room temperature and ambient pressure, then transported safely by tank truck.”

There’s an energy summit that is going to take place in Hokkaido next week July 25-28 in Sapporo, the capital of the island. Hydrogen made from the wind turbine/electrolysis will be used to power an automobile that will be demonstrated at the summit.

Wind + hydrogen = cars on the move. Good Earth-friendly equation. No?

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Talk about survival of the fittest? There is one Koala in Australia that took on a car, got his head stuck in the grill and still came out a survivor. Could he be on television? A car hit the 8-years old bear at high speed, the bear got his head stuck in the grill of the car and went for a ride for 12km (7.4 miles). We’re thinking he lost a few years while zoom zoom zooming down the road. Still he’s alive.

“To have him survive and virtually unscathed is quite miraculous,” Australian Wildlife Hospital spokeswoman Carolyn Beaton said.

It’s the season for koalas to be on the move and drivers down under are being asked to drive with particular caution when in koala habitat areas. The bear, now nicknamed “Ely ‘Lucky’ Grills” was freed with a pair of scissors after hanging on with one arm and his head stuck. When the driver stopped at a railway station, he was cut loose.

Lucky, who might be better nicknamed Look-before-you-cross-the-road is recovering in a hospital. “Whilst Lucky was in shock, he quickly recovered and was nearly better after a couple of hours rest and a feed,” she said.

Reborn, born again, recycled, all seems the same to me. There’s a baby maker in Foutainhall, Scotland - near Edinburgh, who makes, well, um, babies. Except her babies are not real. For some, they are too much like real babies. They are crafted in vinyl and have become quite popular with collectors and nostalgic grandparents, not to mention parents who have lost their little ones.

I’m not buying it. A plastic baby can’t replace a real baby. Still, these babies are painted over several times to create the newborn skin feeling. They have mohair (not sure what that is) and eyelashes (I know what they are). The babies are also weighted to feel as heavy as a human baby.

So, why don’t people who buy these babies try the adoption thing? There are children looking for parents. Can you say India and China? Why would anybody want a plastic doll when they could have a living doll in need of a real parent? Our planet is crowded enough. Why recycle babies?

Our last question is if these babies need green diapers or not. Guess not, right?

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I got this email from a friend. It shed a lot of light on our previous article on North Dakota and the oil prices.

Get your hole poker out and tell me what’s wrong with this argument.

Which Country Has the Biggest Oil Supply?

Like you, I’ve been absolutely blown away by what has happened to the price of a gallon of gas. More like just plain mad. But it’s time, way past time, obviously, for all of us to put up or shut up. And by that I mean quit belly-aching to one another (trust me - I do it as well - so I’m talking to myself, too, here!) … and do something.

Not buying gas from one or two of the ‘Big Boys’ for a month, or electing to not buy gas on a given day is not the answer. The answer is one I know you know, and have heard many times before from people a lot more well-versed in this than me: lessening our dependence on foreign oil.

Just poking around the Internet recently, I simply ‘Googled’ the search ‘Untapped U.S. Oil Reserves,’ and the result - like the current price of a gallon of gas - BLEW ME AWAY!

I’ll share some of the highlights I found. (more…)