pinch me

In Japan and elsewhere, people often wash their produce before eating it. Why? Is it to rinse off the dirt and insects? Or maybe we are hoping to clean off all the dreaded pesticides?

Perhaps the question is: do we really need those pesticides? One pioneering organic apple grower, Akinori Kimura, has proven that we do not. For years now, he has been inundated by more orders than he can handle from those who want a taste of what has been nicknamed the Miracle Apple.

Read more at Our World 2.0!

(Photo by Mathatelle)

Had a filling this morning for the first time in I donno how long. I forgot how much the jaw bone in question throbs when the freezing wears off!

Damn if it doesn't interfere with concentration when one is on a deadline. Advil liquigels my friends, I'm on my way.

Despite the difficulties finishing the text I'm working on for an upcoming new web portal at UNU on satoyama (<--see the Wiki or watch a gorgeous doco), I'm glad to be at home with A/C on today since it's currently 36C out. We didn't have it on at the office yesterday since we were doing our Cool Biz duty, which feels good if somewhat challenging.

Ja ne.

Over at Our World we have just launched Debate 2.0, a new fun open forum for anyone's theories or rants on a hot topic du jour! We briefly introduce a current controversy and you dive into the discussion. Simple as that.

As you may have heard, yup, there was an earthquake last night. And though we felt the rockin' and G-dog came runnin' (which she never did before), and all three of us decided to step out the front door, the epicentre was off the coast so apparently it measured only a 3 or 4 or our 'hood (the meteorological agency's info kept changing) rather than the exaggerations given by some trashy media!

The map of its radius, or whatever it's called is the most dotted I've ever seen though, so I don't know what that's about. Chances are on our side though I think, that we make it 11 more months without being subjected to the Big One.

So now we're waiting for Etau, that nasty stubborn typhoon, to track the hell away.

Facing the apex of Tokyo summer, when pretty much all I can do is think about showering and popsicles, I must pass on this link to an awesome and oh-so-pertinent-these-days article in Orion mag, entitled Forget shorter showers.

For anyone like me, who's got an environmental heart or has developed a penchant for living simply but wonders why CO2 just keeps getting spewed, the piece explains "Why personal change does not equal political change".

Time to join this gang of sharp vocal youth perhaps, and shed my clothes for the cause?

This week's feature story over at Our World 2.0 is about a guy who gave up his career as an engineer to go live in an extreme environment to try and halt the monster-like moving sand dunes from eating more of northeastern China's grasslands.

Written by one of his inspired volunteers, Hope He, a self-confessed "ordinary Chinese girl" who is part of China's "eco-generation".

Check it out.

(Photo: Wan Ping)