Hey Doc

The movie "An Inconvenient truth" is playing on Taiwan TV right now. This reminds me an interesting news I learned not long ago. The news was about how beef eating is contributing to the global warming more then your gas guzzler SUVs. The study shows that for human increasing appetite for their meat, more forest is been cleared by burning to raise cattle. More land is been used to grow the grain needed to feed the cattle. More energy is required to make fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides to grow the grain that is used to feed cattle. More waste is produced to released into the environment. A surprising contributor to the global warming is the 60 million tons of methane gas released through their digestive systems directly into the atmosphere each year.
So the question is "Eat burger or drive Humvee".

A related topic is "All You Can Eat" restaurants. The style of serving a meal is been questioned. With the world shortage of food supply, parts of the world are struck by hunger and while we are over indulging in food does not seem appropriate at the moment. Also over-eating can cause hazard to our health, not mentioned of wasted food too. I have reduced my visit to any AYCE restaurants to minimum. For one, I don't feel I have to eat until I get my money's worth. Second, I hate to see food been left in the plate untouched.

One of the few fruits that I am not allergic to is pineapple. Taiwan produces many varieties of pineapple. From May to August is the season for pineapple. The first crop coming out right now is called "Golden Diamond". The meat is very juicy and sweet when the fruit is just ripe. In addition to enjoy the freshly cut pineapple, the fruit can also be used in several mouth-watering ways. Among these are the traditional pineapple cake, pineapple shrimp fried rice, and pineapple chicken soup.
Here is a little history I found. Pineapple in Taiwan was mainly canned for export during 60 and 70's. Because of the recent competition from other countries, the industry has shifted to domestic fresh markets. And that is why we can enjoy these cheap and delicious fruit. Thanks to WTO.

First 10K run on treadmill that is! Felt good this morning during the exercise. I extended my normal one hour running to 70 minutes. That sent my running distance to 10K. I know, 70 minutes is no where near my best pace but I will take anything I can get.

Now my nephew is in Tokyo, Japan teaching English there. Once he settles in and get familiar with the area, this uncle will pay him a visit someday. I have only been to Japan once in my whole life. Had a good time with a tour group to Hokkaido. I plan to go back there again. This time I like to stay a little longer, explore the area for the award winning photo opportunity. I have seen photos of the area both in Summer and Winter time. Beautiful pictures.
Here is the rail map of the Greater Tokyo. Hope you can find your way around. I am already lost.

This blog must be covered with weeds by now ;) hehe.. It has been a busy month for me. Friends and family members visiting took up all my time of this month. In addition, we have a new president and a new ruling party for this country. I wish this change will bring a brighter future for the people on this island. It is time to heal the wounds inflicted by the separatists.
My nephew Tim got a job teaching English in Tokyo, Japan. It must be the dream come true because he was always a fan of Japanese stuff like their pop music, comics. Although it is only a one year contract but he is showing the interests of staying longer, maybe even going to graduate school there. I wish him well.