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![Traveling Vulture [#2336297]
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Native to the Americas, the turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) travels widely in search of sustenance. While usually foraging alone, it relies on other individuals of its species for companionship and mutual protection. Sometimes misunderstood, sometimes feared, sometimes shunned, it nevertheless performs an important role in the ecosystem.
This scavenger bird is a marvel of efficiency. Rather than expend energy flapping its wings, it instead locates uplifting columns of air, and spirals within them in order to glide to greater heights. This behavior has been mistaken for opportunism, interpreted as if it is circling doomed terrestrial animals destined to be its next meal. In truth, the vulture takes advantage of these thermals to gain the altitude needed glide longer distances, flying not out of necessity, but for the joy of it.
It also avoids the exertion necessary to capture live prey, preferring instead to feast upon that which is already dead. In this behavior, it resembles many humans.
It is not what most of us would consider to be a pretty bird. While its habits are often off-putting, or even disgusting, to members of more fastidious species, the turkey vulture helps to keep the environment from being clogged with detritus. Hence its Latin binomial, which translates to English as "golden purifier."
I rarely know where the winds will take me next, or what I might find there. The journey is the destination.
August 2, 2025 at 11:30am August 2, 2025 at 11:30am
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Well, if I'd known the random numbers would serve up a softball article like this one from Atlas Obscura yesterday, I'd have posted it then. But that would defeat the whole purpose of the surprise of random picking.
Hibiya Godzilla Square 
Japanās tallest Godzilla statue contains a piece of the original 1954 film within its base.
Of course, you need to go to that link to see pictures, which you definitely want to, because it's Godzilla.
Or, you know, Gojira, depending on how accurately you want to render the Japanese name in English.
Hibiya Godzilla Square is home to the largest Godzilla statue in the country, a monumental tribute to Japanās most famous kaiju (āstrange beastā or āmonsterā).
Looking at the pictures, though, might lead to some disappointment. It may be the largest Godzilla statue in the country, but it's not even close to Godzilla's actual size. Well, I mean what would be his actual size if he could exist without violating most of the known laws of physics and probably a few as-yet-unknown ones as well.
Two statues have occupied the square over this time, the first of which was installed to commemorate Godzillaās demise in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. The present statue replaced it in 2018.
To my shame, I have not seen that particular Godzilla movie. I did, however, see a remastered original Godzilla from 1954 at the local drafthouse theater a few years ago.
An unmistakable representation of Godzilla as seen in the 2016 film Shin Godzilla, the centerpiece of Hibiya Godzilla Square rises above a crashing wave at an impressive height of 9.8 feet...
Fuck's sake, it's in Japan. Use meters. (It's almost exactly 3m.)
And yes, that's taller than a puny human, but actual Godzilla started out at about 50m and only got bigger from there.
Look, I like Godzilla, okay? It's not a guilty pleasure, because I don't believe in guilty pleasures, but I realize it's completely unrealistic. That's fine. So is Superman, and I never pass up a chance to see a Superman movie. Including this latest one, which I absolutely enjoyed. (I used to do one-sentence movie reviews, but that was more of a "previous blog" thing.)
Clearly, though, Superman would beat Godzilla in a fight. Unless the kaiju somehow swallowed some kryptonite, and then it'll depend on whether it's an American movie or a Japanese one. |
© Copyright 2025 Robert Waltz (UN: cathartes02 at Writing.Com). All rights reserved. Robert Waltz has granted InkSpot.Com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.
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