China Smog Emergency

http://news.yahoo.com/latest-china-smog-emergency-shuts-city-11-million-055104682.html

China has forced public areas to close down after a "smog emergency". All large cities shut down in Northern California including Beijing. Schools were forced to suspend classes and airports to close. According to the article:

An index measuring PM2.5, or particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5), reached a reading of 1,000 in some parts of Harbin, the gritty capital of northeastern Heilongjiang province and home to some 11 million people.A level above 300 is considered hazardous, while the World Health Organisation recommends a daily level of no more than 20.

 The Chinese government has announced plans over the years to tackle this issue, but very little has been done to actually fix the problem.

I have actually been to Beijing recently and the smog is ridiculous. You can barely see the building in front of you and it seems like it is constantly foggy. The air is thick, and unlike california, extremely humid. In California, when it is foggy, it is typically a cold, crisp air, but in China it is extremely thick and warm. Gross.

Here are some photos I took on my trip:

This is Shanghai. That "fog" is actually smog and you cant even see Shanghai's skyline in the background.

This is the site of the Olympic Stadium in Beijing. You cant even see the rest of the city in the background because the smog is so thick.

The following are also photos from Beijing:

This photo was taken from the Great Wall of China just outside of Beijing with the city skyline in the distance.

This is the Great Wall of China. The air was extremely thick and HOT. Hiking this wall was not an easy feat. 

Here is me, my brother and my dad struggling to climb the wall while my mom snaps a photo :) notice how steep the steps actually are!

Typhoon in Japan

http://news.yahoo.com/evacuation-could-saved-lives-japan-typhoon-081616887.html

A typhoon (Wipha) has devastated the Japanese Islands yesterday. The typhoon killed 22 people and more than 30 people are still missing. There was a concern that more lives would have been saved if the government would have issued an evacuation warning. Rescue teams searched through homes swept by mudslides in hopes of finding survivors. 

According to the article, flood warnings were issued but only implemented in small towns during the worst of the downpour. 

I would imagine such an advanced country such a Japan would be able to effectively warn their people of such dangers such as this and be able to effectively execute evacuations to save more lives.

Here are some photos of the devastation of the typhoon:

Mudslides combined with fallen  trees knocked houses over and and the force pulled them down the hill.

A woman is looking at a close up photo of the damage

Rescue workers sorting through debris

muddied shoes found within the debris

A man walks near a collapsed house

Architecture

Islamic traditions seem to be the underlying style in the building of the Taj Mahal. There are inscriptions from the Koran cover much of both the exterior and interior walls by craftsmen from as far away as China and Italy (textbook, 194). Pointed archways is characteristic of Islamic architecture and it is present in the building of the Taj Mahal. The beautiful inlay of floral patterns is also a characteristic of Islamic architecture. See Below:

This is the Mosque of Sultan Ahmed at Istanbul, Turkey. It bears a resemblance to the Taj Mahal and was built from 1610-1616. The Taj Mahal was built in 1630-1653.

This is the Sultan Hussan Mosque in Cairo, Egypt. It has similar inlay style patterns on the interior walls as well as the pointed arch--both characteristics