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Area 8,839 square miles (22,892 square km) The mean annual temperature is 47.3 °F (8.5 °C) and the average annual precipitation ranges from 22 inches (550 mm) in the east to 30 inches (750 mm) in the west Ethnic minorities (mainly Ukrainians displaced after World War II) live in rural areas Local hot springs are tapped by the geothermal heat plant in Pyrzyce Main rail lines link Szczecin with major Polish cities and Germany while the port of Świnoujście provides regular ferry connections with Sweden There is an airport near Szczecin in Goleniów Noteworthy museums include the National Museum in Szczecin and the Regional Museum in Koszalin both of which focus on the history of Western Pomerania World War II left many of the region’s towns and cities devastated After the war Western Pomerania was incorporated into Poland Many cities in Sweden turn 600 this year thanks to 'Erik' These two cities have Erik av Pommern (Eric of Pomerania) to thank for their existence Born in Darlowo in today’s Poland in 1381 or 1382 Erik was the first king of the Nordic Kalmar Union succeeding his adoptive mother Margaret I of Denmark “It was a way for the state to strengthen its power,” says Thomas Lindkvist professor in history at Göteborg University These privileges gave the state control over commerce and income and in the end the king (Erik) got both money and power The Swedish cities at the time were for the most part located along the east coast and the shores of Lake Mälaren In Hjo (located inland in Västra Götaland) it was trade that triggered growth; in the village of Åtvidaberg it was copper; and for the Danes having a harbor in Landskrona became a great source of income It should be added that the word “city” didn’t mean what it means today There were in those days “cities” with no more than 20 households since in 1413 the population in all of Sweden totaled 350,000 The beginning of August marks another modernization milestone achieved by the Polish Armed Forces The first of the four AW-101 Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) aircraft was successfully delivered by Augusta-Westland to the WZL Świdnik plant The helicopters will most likely be delivered to the 44th Marine Aviation Base in Darłowo Besides their anti-submarine and patrol roles the AW-101 will also conduct Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) operations over the Baltic Sea „Orzeł wylądował!” – pierwszy #AW101 już w Polsce. pic.twitter.com/hX1BlC7bZF The delivery of AW-101s is the final stage of the contract signed in April 2019 The deal worth 380 million euros contained a logistical and medical packet The newest helicopters will replace the aging fleet of heavy post-Soviet Mi-14s which operated from Darłowo Although the Mi-14s tend to be recognized as the best aircraft in their class helicopters in the Polish service were on the margin of their service life One of the key factors for signing the contract was the fact that WZL Świdnik is responsible for the production and delivery of some components for Augusta-Westland was conducted in Augusta’s plant in Yeoville Rozpoczęły się dostawy śmigłowców zwalczania okrętów podwodnych #AW101. Pierwszy egzemplarz jest już w drodze do Polski! pic.twitter.com/TCfUCgekpq The AW-101 ASW/CSAR will cooperate with W-3WARM helicopters from the 44th Marine Aviation Airbase that will supplement rescue operations The purchase is however met with some criticism. As domestic experts note Poland purchased only 4 AW-101 helicopters while the fleet of Mi14PL consisted of 12 aircraft (16 in total The machines dedicated to both ASW and CSAR will not be able to conduct both operations at the same time It is possible that more AW-101 will be obtained in the future resulting from high demands on the versatility of the aircraft set by the Polish Ministry of Defense means that additional financial support from the parliament might be needed to finalize the next contracts in the midst of an extensive modernization program Tags: , , , , , Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information Asahi Haikuist Network Skeleton domein the burning sunA-bomb day--Satoru Kanematsu (Nagoya) ocean foam--the memories that refuseto leave--Mona Bedi (Delhi war newson a child’s ribswe read it--Justice Joseph Prah (Accra garden rowsa strawberry seedunder the gum line--Anne Morrigan (Kitchener back from the warroadside rose petalsshower upon him--Eugeniusz Zacharski (Darlowo city riotersa wayside dandelionbends its head--Arvinder Kaur (Chandigarh hearing cries for help--O violinist renew my faithno other theme but joy--Luciana Moretto (Treviso there’s no going backonce you open to the worldpeony blossom--Noga Shemer (Storrs heavenly river…the psychic’s nebulous wordsabout my future--Jackie Chou (Pico Rivera ------------------------------FROM THE NOTEBOOK------------------------------ stormy sealying for a momentbeside a dead jellyfish--Marcellin Dallaire-Beaumont (Brussels Alexander Groth was pounded by the weight of rising ocean temperatures El Nino--in my chest the soundof heavy rain Sandra St-Laurent sprawled out in a sleeping position that resembled a star-shaped echinoderm El Nino moonstranded on our bedsdreams of starfishes Giuliana Ravaglia sketched parallel transverse lines in Bologna the haikuist momentarily lost sight of a ship rough sea--the flight of the dragonflyrising above the waves rough seathe vanished steamerappears again Padraig O’Morain reflected on the accuracy of circadian rhythms in Dublin a cuckoo starts upthat’s all very wellbut you’re late today Reflecting on Buddhist contradictions and the cycle of death and rebirth in Thames Ditton Keith Evetts recalled asking a former ambassador to Tokyo about the burdens of representational entertainment to which he replied: “There are times when a boiled egg in bed is absolute Heaven.” sunny morningon the way to nirvanaa soft-boiled egg Liz Gibbs had hoped for at least a tidbit of talk in Calgary Maya Daneva briskly moved onto a new topic of discussion in The Netherlands Isolationcraving the morselsof small conversation seaside windjellyfish take overour conversation Laurence Raphael Brothers reported that he “visited the charming and friendly but sadly diminished town of Soma in Fukushima and wandered into a tiny izakaya bar where the barman regaled us with the story of his exploits in the annual capture-the-flag competition that commemorates the medieval rivalry between nearby towns.” cavalry tacticsyield to izakaya cheer--fried food and sake The haikuist ai li misses the arcades and food stands that lined a platform on pillars which stretched gaily from the shore into the sea Tomislav Maretic walked to the cliff’s edge in Zagreb Helga Stania found paradise stretched along a valley in the Swiss Alps end of the path--the crickets’ song rising towardsthe Milky Way narrow alleys’tween roof edges the starsabove the Engadine Susan Rogers enjoyed a good show overhead Big Bear Lake She remarked how the skies were so clear that “the heavens were indeed a river of jewels summer fireworkshigh above thundering waves an explosion of stars Sunflowers--may peace be restoredto Ukraine stormy weatherno end in sightworld on shoulders rough seas--waiting for her lovera girl at the quay When he first saw a ship on the horizon off Hawaii Eric Kimura said he “struggled a bit to capture it… then a week later” he saw a similar scene and realized that he “was missing the sense of touching the infinite Balancing sereneYet on infinity’s edgeShip sails horizon sparkling sea--sun behind the windowin the outline of infinity Ed Bremson recalled a very enjoyable trip he took to the beach near Raleigh a very long time ago--70 years to be exact gazing over the sea,eating Frosted Flakesfrom the box Julia Guzman kept a winter-themed travel journal while driving for days to Comodoro Rivadavia in Patagonia sheep by the wire fencemorning Patagonian stormmidway on the trip different cloud shapes--at the end of the long roadherd of guanacos Keith Evetts sailed in a southerly direction night passagethe Southern Crossbobbing up and down Yutaka Kitajima can almost see the shoreline on an island in the Sea of Japan Bedi recalled the taste of the Indian Ocean morning seawe taste the salton our cookies St-Laurent christened her busy roadside shop fresh coat of painton the lemonade stand“El Nino” Murasaki Sagano tapped her index finger approvingly at a fruit stand in Tokyo Sweet soundsof the farmer’s fillipsfresh watermelons Big pumpkinshared with a neighborhalf and half Slobodan Pupovac can no longer pull in anything from Zagreb Marek Printer can no longer hear sounds from an old pond in Kielce looming El Ninothe frog burrows in muddeeper and deeper seem to have grown tired of North Korea’s constant barrage of military projectiles DeGuire may have knocked back a few shots to cool down He suppressed his true feelings about the heat by using an expression from the military phonetic alphabet in Los Angeles The rough seamissiles flying overSado island ballistic rockets...and in the deep skya silent Milky Way Sherry Reniker succumbed to the heat in Kent in the Pacific againa “little boy”threatens Refika Dedic stayed put in Bosnia and Herzegovina tired of running awayI found refugein a lonely house Wearing a light dress and sipping cold water Angela Giordano nonetheless felt her body burn in Avigliano Italy: from the window the African heat takes my breath away crack in the chrysalis…letting bits of thisbody go they spend their final days visiting flowers looking for pollen and nectar Here’s a haiku about a colorful insect that C.X Sunset glowin the distant westwarfare fires Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828) may have faced the reality of death when he wrote this hokku: tooyama ga medama ni utsuru tombo kana the distant mountains--reflected in the eyesof a dragonfly ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Learn to let go at http://www.asahi.com/ajw/special/haiku/ The next issue of the Asahi Haikuist Network appears Aug Readers are invited to send haiku related to this hokku by Kobayashi Issa: the distant mountains--reflected in the eyes of a dragonfly on a postcard to David McMurray at the International University of Kagoshima David McMurray has been writing the Asahi Haikuist Network column since April 1995 He is on the editorial board of the Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku columnist for the Haiku International Association a column in The Language Teacher of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT) McMurray is professor of intercultural studies at The International University of Kagoshima where he lectures on international haiku At the Graduate School he supervises students who research haiku He is a correspondent school teacher of Haiku in English for the Asahi Culture Center in Tokyo McMurray judges haiku contests organized by The International University of Kagoshima McMurray’s award-winning books include: “Teaching and Learning Haiku in English” (2022); “Only One Tree Haiku Music & Metaphor” (2015); “Canada Project Collected Essays & Poems” Vols 1-8 (2013); and “Haiku in English as a Japanese Language” (2003) Information on the latest cherry blossom conditions Please right click to use your browser’s translation function.) A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II In-house News and Messages No reproduction or republication without written permission jointly with the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Szczecin has been conducting proceedings on suspicion of giving and receiving financial advantages in exchange for accelerated and positive consideration of applications for work permits for foreigners including a civil servant from the Department of Civil Affairs and Foreigners at the Regional Unit of the Western Pomeranian Voivodeship Office in Koszalin and an entrepreneur providing professional assistance in drafting and submitting applications for the legalisation of residence and work permits for foreigners in the territory of the Republic of Poland The activities were carried out in Koszalin the detained civil servant accepted a number of financial advantages in exchange for accelerated and positive consideration of applications for work and residence permits for foreigners searches were carried out in the places of work and residence occupied by the detainees and other persons who may have been connected with the criminal scheme The women will be taken to the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Szczecin These are the first detentions in this investigation To make this website work, we log user data. By using Shephard's online services, you agree to our Privacy Policy Stay up to date with our Newsletter Or login The Polish AW101 Merlin helicopters will be assigned to anti-submarine roles Poland has begun the induction of the first of four Leonardo AW101 Merlin anti-submarine warfare helicopters, the country’s navy and the General Command of Armed Forces announced on 8 December Three of the helicopters have arrived at the Naval Aviation Brigade air base in Darłowo, with the fourth currently being fitted out with Polish system requirements at PZL-Świdnik, the navy and the joint command said. As Shephard reported recently, all four helicopters are expected to be delivered by the end of this year Poland signed a contract for four AW101 helicopters for US$430 million in April 2019. Originally, the Polish Navy planned to acquire eight AW101s to replace its ageing Mi-14 helicopters currently operated from Darłowo air base Poland receives first AW101 anti-submarine helicopter The Merlin helicopters will be assigned to anti-submarine roles When Poland decided to purchase a new platform the country sought a multi-role helicopter The AW101s will also be equipped with combat search and rescue (CSAR) module which means that they will be able to perform search and rescue missions The AW101 has been outfitted with a low-workload NVG-compatible glass cockpit and fully integrated communications the AW101 can carry up to 30 passengers and arranged in a variety of configurations AW101 [Poland] AW101 As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to Premium News and Defence Insight … US-made combat aircraft are being passed over in favour of European types as Latin America and Canada question their ageing fleet replacement choices Flare Bright TACTERA software solution will be introduced at SOF Week 2025 in Tampa this week StormShroud is designed to support UK Royal Air Force (RAF) Lockheed Martin F-35B and Eurofighter Typhoon fighter aircraft by providing suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD) It is built around the Tekever AR3 uncrewed aerial system (UAS) and Leonardo BriteStorm electronic warfare (EW) jammer payload The ground test phase for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) programme will bridge the gap between prototype design and flight laying essential groundwork ahead of fielding the uncrewed aircraft The two aircraft flew more than 70 sorties in seven months and tested the system in various conditions and mission scenarios The legislation outlined additional budget to enhance air including next-generation air and uncrewed naval programmes BLOG: Pamietajkto WHAT SHE'S WEARING: "I'm wearing a very old Wrangler baseball jacket from my mom platform sneakers from a Polish website called Sequin Shoes COMFY-COOL: "Being comfortable is very important for me I've been wearing a lot of boyfriend jeans and T-shirts!" What do you think of this girl's style Want to be our next Best-Dressed Reader of the Day? Click here to submit your photo. “Comparing the helicopters we currently use – the W3 Sokół or the Mi-14 – with the AW101 is a Volvo from 20 years ago with the brand’s latest model but the difference in technology is enormous And even this comparison doesn’t entirely reflect the scale of changes the new helicopter will introduce to naval aviation,” emphasizes Cdr (Pil) Wojciech Koliczko The unit is currently preparing to receive new generation machines Poland signed the contract for the delivery of the helicopters in April 2019 The contract assumes the machines will be built by PZL Świdnik the Polish Armed Forces will get a logistics and training package There will also be an AW101 service center created in Łódź Poland ordered unique helicopters which combine the functions of machines intended for ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) and CSAR (Combat Search and Rescue) missions The Polish AW101s will be built on the basis of modules Mounting or demounting particular elements will allow for preparing the helicopters to execute various tasks Cdr Koliczko explains that there is a certain degree of simplification in the statement “It’s not like ASW helicopters can’t carry out rescue operations which on a daily basis cooperate with Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates The vessels were originally designed to carry two helicopters – while one was executing ASW tasks the other one was on rescue duty,” explains the pilot rescue operations can be carried out by various types of aircraft not necessarily those originally intended for it the possibility to configure the AW101 to adapt it for carrying out rescue missions is undoubtedly its additional asset,” emphasizes Cdr Koliczko One of the things that the SAR configuration of the new helicopter will not have is the post of the Senso sensory systems operator who in the ASW version operates the submarine tracking devices and armament The buoy holder will also disappear from board an integrated forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera we must come to a conclusion that each of them is missing something,” thinks the commander of the Darłowo Air Group “The Mi-14PŁ/Rs are large and durable machines capable of operating in very difficult conditions for a long time they don’t have advanced electronic systems the crews of the recently modernized W-3WARM Anakonda helicopters have to handle a huge amount of data collected by the systems they visually observe the surface of the sea throughout each operation it is still the main method of searching for shipwreck survivors The camera is mainly used for verification purposes,” he adds The AW101 will be a huge quality jump for the SAR service The size and weight of these helicopters is comparable to the Mi-14s Advanced devices ensure more comfort to the crew than Anakondas “The FMS and the autopilot enable the helicopter to fly autonomously without much engagement of the crew in piloting or navigation They can focus on the search operation and simply verify the flight parameters The synthetic aperture radar additionally provides an image of the sea surface in exceptional previously unheard-of quality,” enumerates Cdr Koliczko He says that the AW101s are perfect for mass evacuation operations there have been some landslides on the roads in British Columbia The crews of Canadian AW101s evacuated about 300 people from the site,” reminds the pilot The naval helicopters for Poland will also be rich in ASW equipment such as a dipping radar and hydro acoustic buoys They will also be adapted to carry torpedoes and depth charges The specialists who will soon make up the crews of the AW101s are cautious in expressing their expectations so we can’t say a lot at the moment,” they explain trained to execute all types of tasks on the reconnaissance version of the PZL M28 Bryza emphasizes that the new helicopters will be a breakthrough for the naval aviation comparable to the revolution in the Air Force brought about by introducing the F-16s into service ten years ago The revolutionary character of this change is best explained through examples A submarine which is not detected in time can cause enormous damage in surface forces and threaten state economy It can also carry cruise missiles that are capable of reaching targets not only on the territory of Poland but located throughout the whole continent,” explains Capt Bartosz Jakubik It all resembles a chess game governed by bizarre rules “The adversary sees the arrangement of our figures and their movements and at the same time has this one superfigure which can freely move across the board and remains invisible up to the very moment it touches upon one of our pawns,” says Jakubik The difficulty of the task executed by teams that work on detecting a submarine might be compared to a situation where you are trying to hear a whisper of a man standing on a terrace of the Palace of Culture and Science in the center of Warsaw during the rush hour such operations are conducted using sonars which are all capable of detecting a submarine Navigators also use a hydro location station lowered below the sea surface on a line to locate submarines All of these devices are incomparably more advanced than those previously used so detecting submarines will become easier is that the time of detecting surface objects will be shorter “The capabilities of the radar installed in the new helicopter are very extensive it is coupled with an optical head-mounted camera I can see everything it detects in real time on very advanced equipment The picture quality is so good that I can easily determine what it is,” explains Capt Jakubik One of the configurations of the new helicopter enables execution of SAR missions “I had a chance to fly on a SAR version of the AW101 as an observer It was a Danish machine which carried out a mission on Bornholm during Exercise SAREX It uses a head with cameras to search for shipwreck survivors The cameras can register normal and infrared images which enables you to see a person floating on the water surface at night One of the assets of the AW101 is a big cabin which will allow for taking many survivors on board and enable the crew members (contrary to what the case is today) to stand straight This significantly increases the work comfort and makes it easier to carry out medical tasks The work of the pilots will be facilitated with automated search models “We search for survivors in a determined area which depends on who we are looking for and in what conditions such a search model – an algorithm according to which the task is executed by an automatic pilot – can be programmed,” says one of the pilots this means less manual work in the cabin and a possibility to focus on operational matters,” adds the aviator While the crews are familiar with the two mentioned types of operations The AW101 helicopter is also to be used in CSAR operations They are undertaken when a soldier is wounded on a battlefield The helicopter which flies to help is armed as there is a possibility that the enemy will use weapons This is an entirely new task for the naval aviators and the very fact they are going to execute it raises controversy in the army “They haven’t done anything like that before so they will have to put in a lot of work to train it,” say the aviators from other units but we also hope to train with units that already execute such tasks the 56th Air Base in Inowrocław or foreign units,” adds the navigator that the biggest change is extending the work environment but the image can also be transferred from my post to the pilots’ cockpit so they know what is happening during the operation,” says Capt Jakubik Capt Norbert Bąk explains that currently each device on board a helicopter is an individual being we transfer information to the command post via radio Sometimes we even physically transfer it to maps using a pencil and then give them to analysts...” The AW101 allows us not only to use many sensors simultaneously and consolidate the data we collect into one full image of the tactical situation but also to exchange information almost in real time with other platforms and command posts This is a truly network-centric system,” explains Capt Bąk The data collected by navigators will come from all areas in which the operation is carried out: from above and under water Additional information will also be collected from the remaining participants of the operation – other helicopters integrated picture of the situation,” says Capt Bąk The AW101 can also become a command platform for an ACO (Aircraft Coordinator) it will be possible to manage a rescue operation from the helicopter as the AW101 will be the element with the best view on everything that’s happening on water,” says Capt Jakubik the crews must complete a full cycle of courses and trainings They are soon going to an English language course to Leicester in Great Britain the navigators will be trained in France to operate on-board submarine-detecting devices after which they will return to Great Britain to attend a course at the AW101 production plant to learn the ropes of operating the helicopter type – first in theory as all of them have a lot of experience and years of active service “The future crews of the AW101s will be made up of soldiers who serve on W-3s as well as those flying on Mi-14s or the SH-2Gs,” admits Cdr Koliczko “We’ve tried to select people with perspectives – experienced the experience gained on rescue helicopters was important On board of the AW101 they will operate the winch they also must be ready to steer a hovering helicopter Another important criterion was the language skills of individual candidates,” enumerates the pilot A separate cycle of trainings awaits the ground crew The navigators will also undergo machine gun shooting trainings as they will be the ones using armament during CSAR missions The personnel is preparing to operate the new helicopters but there is also new infrastructure being created on the ground Six modern hangars have been built at the airport in Darłowo as the AW101s will have a lot of electronic devices which have to be protected from moisture and salt The parking places are spacious and well-lit in order to facilitate the work of the technical personnel There are also take-off points for the new helicopters near the buildings the Naval Aviation Brigade is to receive four new helicopters so the hangars will also be used for garaging machines of the older types The modernization of the base is still ongoing to build a training facility,” explains Cdr Koliczko I think aviation is a good choice for fans of advanced technologies and adventure-seekers And I guess the AW101 combines these two things I’m really glad I can take advantage of this,” says Capt Jakubik the perfume of immortal flowers--the old cemetery--Francoise Maurice (Draguignan moth orchids greet usfirst showing their best colorsMom’s last birthday--Kiyoshi Fukuzawa (Tokyo) Gardeniatoo sweet for the wakea dear friend--Satoru Kanematsu (Nagoya) two black horsesleading along the old roadthe sad procession--Slobodan Pupovac (Zagreb night stormthe centaurs gallopamongst the coastal rocks--Eugeniusz Zacharski (Darlowo in the mirrormy aging face stares back...“not so bad”--Orrin Prejean (Dallas he must be dreaming--stone Buddha in the shadeof purple sunflowers--Ksenia Alessandra Petrova (Mexico City) to the planted seedwhat seems like a burialis a beginning--Noga Shemer (Storrs wheat field...the child she couldn’thave--Samo Kreutz (Ljubljana Born and raisedin a rainy gravesitea toadstool--Teiichi Suzuki (Osaka) Hiroshimawar orphans chewingnewspaper--Yutaka Kitajima (Joetsu The haikuist marked A-Bomb Day by praying for the children who starved to death after the “Little Boy” exploded Ian Willey marked Mountain Day by realizing he’s fortunate to be living within sight of both bountiful seas and mountains in Takamatsu mountain shrineand me with nothingto offer Living high in the mountain village of Golnik Tanja Trcek embarked on a make-believe maritime adventure her seain the rusty bucket--mountain child’s summer evening breeze...the mountains light upand the thoughts mountain sunsetI balance the unknownstones of answers Following the Buddhist custom of honoring the spirits of one’s ancestors Suzuki likely visited his parents’ grave to celebrate the Obon holidays in Eiheiji A rush of cool air--thinking about a visitto the hometown grave Sherry Reniker remembered the Kamakura period Buddhist priest who was banished to Sado Island from 1271 to 1274 his prayers went unheeded during a series of typhoons floods and earthquakes that shook the island rampant plague and fear-provoking comet sightings on SadoNichiren observedan inner Milky Way Masumi Orihara commented on “Sado Island’s sad history of exiles who must have wished upon the falling stars.” Florin Golban composed this haiku in Bucharest after the sunsetlooking up towhat’s not there Govind Joshi composed this thought in Dehradun While reading a haiku about the Milky Way in Matsuo Basho’s travelogue She dreamed she was choosing flowers from heaven for the grave of someone who had been very close taller and more colorful than those from her neighborhood flower market she concluded that meteors are heaven’s flowers and symbolize the soul Meteor showerabove the concrete jungleheaven’s flowers Eva Limbach posed this rhetorical line in Saarbruecken Germany: how deep is the ocean falling star Watching old stars spin from east to west in the skies overhead Parma Mario Massimo Zontini’s eyes tried to follow the trail of those that fell dark night of summer--the stars plunge into the riverwith no ripple Petra Schmidt beachcombed near Catonsville Al Gallia witnessed a slow death in Lafayette Kanematsu felt a little guilty boosting his stamina by eating grilled eel and hunting for Sirius in the Canis Major constellation on a hot warm ocean currenta starfish hugsthe shoreline dry water holethe gator crawls slowlyover decaying fish Eels listedendangered speciesDog Day’s feast John Daleiden composed this rhetorical question during the relative nighttime cool of the Sonoran Desert Daytime temperatures this summer have been dangerously hot--soaring past 45 degrees in Phoenix Do you supposebeyond heaven’s riverthey watch too Lynda Zwinger shivered on a warm night in Tucson across the desertsmiling mountain--coyotelaughs in the moonlight Kanematsu’s grandson tiptoed through a haunted house Murasaki Sagano shivered while listening to a ghost story in Tokyo Midsummera breathtaking storypsychic night Marek Printer spent a thrilling night in Kielce The haikuist ai li penned an unexpected encounter in Singapore Jennifer Gurney figuratively became a bird in Broomfield Isabella Kramer thought she might have returned from the dead as a soft sea creature floating on a cloudhigh above the mountainsa bird underwater fogsuddenly I meet myselfas an octopus Xenia Tran mourned the loss of a whole pod of cetaceans that beached on a Scottish island last month An even larger number of long-finned whales died at Cheynes Beach on the southern tip of Western Australia heaven’s tears--fifty-five pilot whalesstranded on Lewis Chen Xiaoou contrasted vibrant sounds on Dian Lake in Kunming sea gullsthe sound of wingsbetween that of the waves Mircea Moldovan tread on a black line in Jibou Romania: stepping with right foot over the crow’s shadow Tomislav Maretic gawked at a very long-legged bird in Zagreb Christopher Calvin swayed back and forth over his choice of words in Kota Mojokerto change of tideparched earth tastesre(new)al Shemer shared a withering love story from Storrs Maurice described ripe corn cobs swaying in the sun roaring wavesstretching across the silk tasselsof the cornfieldsHelen Buckingham eyed terraced mountains Wai Mei Wong admits that ever since she “was a kid,” growing up in Toronto she’s “always had an eerie imagination about dolls.” Helga Stania paused to consider an abstract mural painted in 1958 by Mark Rothko Orihara took pity on a widower who admired his fashion-minded wife until the day she died when he had to dispose of all her possessions treasuredblushing-pink wardrobeheavy burden DeGuire’s haiku alludes to the eerie blue light seen in bioluminescent crustaceans such as the hotaru ebi found in Lake Suwa treasures crashonto rocky shores--firefly shrimp Keith Evetts composed this haiku on the longest day of the year the last little bluetitclings to the nest boxall day long Schmidt caught sight of something hiding behind seaweed in cool shallow waters Mike Fainzilber drank tea as hot as the ocean in Rehovot in the kelp bedsomething stirringfrom afar gently steamingmy teacupand the broad blue sea Maurice stuck to this line penned in her travel itinerary: raspberries ripe-- I will leave tomorrow at dawn Randy Brooks might have been feeling a little guilty raising his hand to adjust the air nozzle on an airplane’s overhead bin during a westward flight from Taylorville jumbo jet over El Ninothe hiss ofair conditioning Kanematsu felt as though he had been happily on his way to heaven by spaceship Moretto suggested a dreamlike composition be played for a divine requiem--as “music for my funeral.” shadow of time...listening toLacrimosa by Mozart Matsuo Basho wrote this last poem for his disciples from his deathbed (jisei) in Osaka four days before passing away on Nov 1694: tabi ni yande yume wa kareno wo kakemeguru sick on a journeymy dreams go on wanderingthrough these withered fields ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The next issues of the Asahi Haikuist Network appear on Sept Readers are invited to compose haiku related to Matsuo Basho’s final verse: sick on a journey my dreams go on wandering through these withered fields Send haiku on a postcard to David McMurray at the International University of Kagoshima No reproduction or republication without written permission.