Aloha for Japan

$20 with all the profits supporting relief efforts in japan

100% of profits raised from the sale of this Scout Book will support Mercy Corps in their ongoing earthquake and tsunami relief efforts in Japan. Receive three special edition Scout Books in return for your support.

and other ways to help

Pour Over Coffee via NYTimes

Yes, please! Blue Bottle Coffee as mentioned in the above article, has several outlets in SF, one of them being down the street from me, attached the the neighborhood laundromat (hey, it’s Noe Valley, home of the double wide strollers, 2 used books stores and 1 Whole Foods). I go there often to get one of the slow pour over coffees.It.is.sooooo.good.
After a few disappointing walks to the laundromat I finally remember they are closed on Wednesdays (the laundromat is not) so that helps in curbing my addiction.

Departures, (2008) dir Yôjirô Takita

Departures, or “Okuribito” is an unexpectedly funny film about a morbid job. Japan, with it’s many, many rituals and ceremonies, has a really odd one: the preparation of a corpse for cremation — in front of the family. Hilarious, right? It’s not a comedy, it’s a very sweet film and how a cellist finds himself preparing people for departures.