“On this day, the day he was assassinated, what I remember is the night we both cracked up drinking tea.” – Yoko Ono

Touching op-ed contribution by Yoko Ono on the day that would have marked John Lennon’s 70th birthday.

The whiteness is like the soul, people say; it should not even be stained with soy sauce. Its relationship with fish reflects a shared provenance: water. Rice is part of the concept of harmony and communality that the Japanese hold so dear. It is the only dish that is shared from a common bowl. A famous proverb written about rice serves as a metaphor for humility, a virtue the Japanese hold dear: “The heavier the head of rice, the deeper it bows.”

An excellent article from the Economist (here) regarding Japan’s cultural and historical ties to rice and how the relationship with rice is changing in modern Japan. {Thanks to Rudy for forwarding me this great article.}

Novelist Jack London

I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.

- Jack London