Even-numbered oddity

I recently read on tightwad.com what I thought sounded like a good idea for eating out. In Japan, the custom of tipping is absolutely non-existent. This means that people in these industries are paid a higher wage (instead of the "special wage" in the US) and don't rely on tips. This means that when I go to the U.S., I am often at a loss as how to tip.
I don't think this suggestion was made to simply be cheap and not give someone the tip they deserve. However, tipping can get a little out of hand and plays on your emotions, especially if you are with other people.
The suggestion is this:

The most creative way to reduce the cost of tipping is to tip with unusual money. In my case, I went to the bank and got a stack of two dollar bills, which are not circulated anymore, but are legal currency and still available. Many people collect these bills and see them as a sign of good luck to receive them. In addition, if you are concerned about appearances, friends or associates that may be watching will be impressed instead of disappointed.

In fact, when I used to tutor a young Japanese student in English, I would be paid in cash after each lesson. After one lesson, her mother asked if I minded that one of the bills was a 2000 yen note. The 2000 yen bill was issued to commemorate the millennium, but it didn't prove popular with consumers. Just like the $2 bill, they are readily available at banks, but still a rarity. I said I was happy to get a 2000 yen bill, and I was more apt to save it instead of spend it so told her how happy I was to receive it. From that point on, she always paid with 2000 yen bills, and I always saved them. After a year, I had quite a stack of cash!
So, from personal experience, I'd say the above suggestion is excellent. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't tip well, but sometimes you can leave an appropriate amount plus a little encouragement.

Hoppy New Year

No, not a typo - I mean Hoppy, as in the hop used to brew beer.
With the New Year's holiday coming up, Japan is immersed in end-of-the-year parties with co-workers and friends. These events often kick off with ordering drinks, and in Japan, the phrase "tori-aezu bii-ru" - meaning "might as well start with a beer" - is a popular order. And when one person orders that... well, let's say going against the grain (in this case, hops) is not often done.
Well, at least 40% of the time, as shown in a study published earlier this year that shows most Japanese are giving a toast, clinking together their glasses that are filled not with sake - the Japanese rice wine that's becoming more and more popular outside of Japan - nor wine, but beer. Add to that 40% another 10% made up largely of wheat-based or soy-based "third category beer" and the nearly 20% "happo-shu" (which is simply low-malt beer) and you've got one big, beer drinking hoppy new year!

Home Alone

Every Monday I download the podcast of the radio program This American Life on NPR in Chicago. It is something I look forward to every week along with a half dozen or so other radio podcasts, but TAL is easily my favorite.
This week's offering featured the theme "Home Alone" about those in our society who chose to live alone in life. It's not hard to recognize the stigma related to this "phenomenon" of people who are thought to be deviant or intrinsically lonely based on this one factor of single dwelling. Then again, it's not hard to understand why that stigma exists; human society is intrinsically interdependent. We are not brought into this world single-handedly, but it is our choice in how we will live in this world, and inevitably, - to quote the popular television series "Lost" - we may live together, but we die alone.
Personally, when I first moved to Japan for four months as a student back in 1997, people were astounded at the fact that I knew no one where I was going. But I wasn't worried because I knew that there would be others there that I would get to know; and I did. Besides, the previous year I went to India for three months not knowing a soul, and ended up discovering enough beautiful souls that India still occupies a special place in my heart today.
I have experienced communal living in dormitories with roommates or housemates. I have lived with a Japanese family that housed and fed me for three months, expecting little in return (at least at first). And I have lived with my girlfriend/fiancee for over two years now. These have all been valuable experiences for me that I wouldn't trade for the world, however I also value the times when I have lived alone. For two years in the Japanese countryside, I had my own apartment and few visitors. For about one year in Kyoto, I lived in an apartment near the university I was attending, cycling back to my empty apartment in the middle of the night after finally closing my books for the day. Some of those days were lonely, and some of those nights I wished for nothing more than to be with my family and loved ones. But I recognized that there is a value in living alone and building up a sense of security in who you are as a single entity.
In the end, though, I think we all want to be part of the world around us. Those who cringe from that are indeed oddities to some extent, but only if they try to banish the outside world. For most people living alone, they enjoy that private space where they are free to invite people in or retreat to the peace and quiet of their own existence for a little while. And in some ways, these are the stable bastions of society who go against the grain and snap stereotypes like the brittle, bare-bone ideas they are. Afterall, I certainly can not deny that I look forward to putting on my headphones and fading into a different world, listening to the stories of TAL or even the daily news. Even on the crowded trains of Tokyo, instead of feeling like an isolated sardine in a metal box, I can close my eyes and be someplace else. Even alone, we know when we are home.

A great speaker

Although some will object on political bias, the man essentially won a Nobel Peace prize for public speaking, and so I think it's fair to say he is an amazing orator.
Check out his acceptance speech and see if you disagree:
link HERE

for more see http://www.algore.com/

Free Rice

Recently the featured Story of the Day on NPR, this website will improve your vocabulary AND help to donate food to the UN World Food Program. Give it a try:

http://www.freerice.com/index.php

Warning: may be addictive :p

Development Assistance

Recently I'm working on a report for a technical project in Vietnam. Japan is giving support to solve issues about water pollution (mainly caused from industry) and in the report is a lament on behalf of Japan. The author expressed regret over the environmental damage that ensued during the high-growth period of Japan's economy because they put more importance on economy than the natural environment.

It is a classic opposition that you hear these days; putting environment in the ring against the economy. It's a fight that - no matter who wins - WE are destined to lose. The following statement sums it up quite well:

"I think we need something like Native American and Australian Aboriginal cultures had [which is] a belief that the land that supports us is sacred and we are family with all other species. The earth is our mother and you don't sell your mother, no matter what the discount rate."

Greenwashing: The 6 Sins

I recently heard a familiar voice on NPR Morning Edition (Nov 30). The voice was that of Scot Case, whom I met in 2005 in Washington D.C. at a meeting with the US Federal Office of the Environment (OFEE) to discuss "Responsible Purchasing". It wasn't much longer after that meeting that the discussion of global warming, emission credit trading and other environmental issues started hitting the front page.
Now regular people are asking, "what can I do?" and as a consumer many of us feel a bit helpless. It doesn't help that companies are putting claims on products that may seem relevant, but are actually empty or meaningless. This is called "greenwashing" and poses a threat to any consumer with a conscience. In the U.S., the lack of a strong environmental labeling scheme has left people with little choice but to grapple with lists of ingredients or just to trust their best judgment and know the issues as best they can. Naturally, few people have the time resources for this undertaking.
The way many brands greenwash their place on the shelves is summarized by Scot Case as the Six Sins, which he talks about during his interview on Morning Edition. For example, a claim that a product contains "NO CFCs" is fairly meaningless in that CFCs have been practically banned in the U.S. since the 1970s. What Germany, Scandinavian countries and Japan have is a strong eco-labeling scheme (Blue Angel, Nordic Swan, and Eco-label, respectively) that puts sets an overall standard for products to obtain the certification, rather than leaving companies to design product packaging as they see fit for marketing as is done in the U.S.
The bottom line is that consumers need to value the vote they make with the dollars they spend. Every dollar sign is a ballot, and no one wants to vote for a candidate that is lying through their teeth, although sometimes it seems we are left with little else.
The Six Sins are as follows, follow the link for details:

1. The Sin of the Hidden Tradeoff
Examples:
• Household insulation products that claim indoor air-quality benefits without attention to other environmental aspects, such as recycled content and manufacturing impacts.

2. The Sin of No Proof.
Examples:
• Household lamps and lights that promote their energy efficiency without any supporting evidence or certification.

3. The Sin of Vagueness
Examples:
• "Chemical-free." In fact, nothing is free of chemicals. Water is a chemical. All plants, animals, and humans are made of chemicals as are all of our products.

• "Non-toxic." Everything is toxic in sufficient dosage. Water, oxygen and salt are all potentially hazardous.

• "All Natural." Arsenic is natural. So are uranium, mercury and formaldehyde. All are poisonous.

• "Green," "environmentally friendly," and "eco-conscious," which are meaningless without elaboration.

4. The Sin of Irrelevance
Example: chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) — legally banned for 30+ years

5. The Sin of Lesser of Two Evils
Examples:
• Organic cigarettes.

6. The Sin of Fibbing
Examples:
• A dishwasher detergent that purports to be packaged in "100% recycled paper," and yet the container is plastic.

(Details)