Ben and I would like to interrupt our normal posting for a quick PSA. Today is annual Blog Action Day, when bloggers all over the world ban together to post about one topic. This year that topic is the environment. Now Ben and I are not environmental experts and with everybody talking about environmental issues today we know you are all well-informed but it can't hurt to be reminded once in awhile that it is up to us and though some changes may be inconvenient, if we all make the effort the reward will be great. So leave the car in the driveway once in awhile, walk, ride your bike, open your windows and turn down the AC, enjoy the fresh air and of course, remember the 5 err, I mean the many Rs - reduce, reuse, recycle, refuse, refurbish, rethink, repurchase, repair, recover, reclaim, rot (compost)... There is more but you get my point.

And I guess, since we are here to always provide a cross-cultural perspective, I will note that though there are clearly efforts on the part of the government to promote recycling among the upper middle class in Malaysia with prominent campaigns on buses, train stops, and TV, it does not seem to be taking off. I have to travel quite a bit to get to the nearest recycling center and my guess is not many of my neighbors are doing the same. Good thing is they exist. On the other hand, developing countries like this one, do actually fair better than the US and Europe when it comes to recycling in general despite the middle class's apathy. This is because poverty does not allow for the luxury of waste. Here and elsewhere, people make a living on others refuse. This means the desperate folks who must pick through the trash themselves to find things they can 'recycle', those who are better off but still must rely on the buyback recycling centers to help supplement their incomes and the buyers themselves. Interesting, huh?

Now back to our regular programming (new post below).