Pinch And A Punch

Happy September y'all*.

A bit of News going on in Japan:

The PM, Yasuo Fukuda, has resigned, ending a rather vacuous year-long term. The mostly-popular Koizumi has been followed by two uncharismatic leaders, and a less-traditional move forward to someone similar would probably be a help. But I don't pretend to know much about Japanese Politics, so I could be wrong. Hey, when their Parliament is called the Diet, anything goes.

In other news, the Michelin Restaurant Guide finally took on Tokyo, which previously saw Paris as number one with 65 stars. The Tokyo survey resulted in 191 stars.

Finally, a fairly accurate and honest look at Japan's environmental awareness in the TimesOnline. Take this section, for example:

Japanese people are used to importing from China, unwrapping and then throwing away — on average ten minutes later — 25 billion pairs of disposable wooden chopsticks every year. Most have also grown used to another comfortable fact of Japanese life: that there is at least one vending machine for every 20 people. The machines are, more often than not, illuminated 24 hours a day and most can keep drinks both chilled and warmed to the perfect temperature.

While there is no doubt that packaging, and the number of vending machines lie somewhere between quirky and environmentally unfriendly, the article forgets to mention some positive aspects. A fact in the comments section mentions that while the UK has 6% woodland, Japan is 60% forest; meaning that the carbon deposit easily outweighs Britains.

The other main issue is Japan's copious recycling. Take this picture, which I was saving for an Image Of The Week, but it's appropriate:


That is (from left to right): paper, pet bottles, cans and other bottles, recyclable waste, other materials, plastic and vinyl recyclables, and foodstuffs. Phew.

Finally finally, a little tune which has nothing to do with the above but is rather appropriate for today:


*As trailer-trashy as y'all reads, it's actually quite a useful greeting for a group (you plural) which is otherwise lacking in English, and when 'you guys' just isn't polite enough.