I loved cherry blossom time when I lived in Japan.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6469787.stm

The following link is to a disturbing but important article about child prostitution in Cambodia. When I visited Cambodia in 2002, I saw many examples of poverty that made me appreciate how lucky most people in Canada are. Seeing several people who were missing legs because of land mines also made me reflect on my good fortune. I don't have a house or a car, but I have a lot more than the vast majority of Cambodians.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/this_world/6422729.stm

Here's some good news from Vietnam from a wonderful Buddhist teacher whose books I recommend.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6450273.stm

John Updike said, "When I write, I aim in my mind not toward New York but toward a vague spot a little east of Kansas. I think of the books on library shelves, without their jackets, years old, and a countryish teen-aged boy finding them, and having them speak to him."

That quotation makes me remember reading many books on the farm where I grew up.