'Hai,' here are some Japanese lessons
Rising above the rubble left in the wake of a tsunami that ripped apart Japan’s northeast coast, the Japanese are quietly teaching the world some lessons we ought to take to heart. Are you ready for some Japanese lessons? The Japanese are teaching us how to be calm in the face of indescribable grief. Indeed, there’s calm after the storm and tomorrow, the sun will shine.
They’re teaching us a priceless lesson in dignity in the midst of tragedy. As you must have seen from those heart-wrenching video clips, there was no chaos, no pushing, no whimpering — only disciplined queues for food and water.
They’re teaching us the importance of order. There was no looting in the shops, no honking of cars or overtaking on the road.
They’re teaching us a lesson in grace under the most dreadful situations. People got only what they needed for the present so that everybody could get his/her share.
They’re teaching us the meaning of sacrifice. Unmindful of their own safety, workers stayed back to pump seawater in the nuclear reactors.
They’re teaching us lessons in tenderness and caring. Restaurant owners did their bit by cutting down their prices. An unguarded ATM was left alone. The strong cared for the weak. Everybody shared what they could.
Even the Japanese media made news by displaying magnificent restraint in their reportage.
And last but not the least, with the darkest of clouds hovering over their heads, the Japanese showed us how to be conscientious. For instance, when the power went off in the stores, people quickly put things back on the shelves and quietly left.
Surely, we should commit these lessons to heart.
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The ‘Miraculous Insecticide Chalk’ is no joke
In the interest of protecting consumers against harmful chemicals, EcoWaste Coalition has sounded the alarm over the unregulated sale of the “Miraculous Insecticide Chalk” in the local market.
According to this consumer watchdog, the insecticide chalk is considered an “illegal pesticide product” in the USA but is rampantly being sold by ambulant vendors in Quiapo and elsewhere as if it was benign and safe.
The group tells consumers that the Miraculous Insecticide Chalk is not registered with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency that regulates household hazardous substances.
Made in China, the insecticide chalk is commonly sold in sidewalks or public markets for only P10 per box. Each box contains white chalks that look like ordinary blackboard chalks you usually find in the classroom. It is used to repel and kill ants, cockroaches, and other crawling insects.
“While the packaging claims it is ‘safe to use,’ insecticide chalk is a dangerous product that can harm humans, especially children, because of its toxic component,” warns Thony Dizon of the EcoWaste Coalition Project PROTECT (People Responding and Organizing against Toxic Chemical Threats).
“This insecticide chalk contains a toxic pesticide called deltamethrin as active ingredient,” Dizon elaborates.
FYI: The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), considers deltamethrin as “one of the most toxic pesticides of its kind” and advises consumers that the insecticide chalk should be avoided at all times.”
The free toxicology encyclopedia Toxipedia describes deltamethrin as “the most powerful and therefore the most toxic of the synthetic pyrethroid pesticide.”
One of the most scary things about this insecticide is that young children may mistake it for an ordinary blackboard chalk. “Children often take it in their hands, write with it and put it in their mouths,” the EPA notes with concern.
Some children in the US have been hospitalized after eating insecticide chalk.
According to the EPA, overexposure to some chemicals found in samples of insecticide chalk can cause serious health effects, like vomiting, stomach pains, convulsions, tremors, and loss of consciousness. It can also trigger allergic reactions.
Thus, the EcoWaste Coalition urges the authorities to stop the importation and sale of the toxic anti-pest chalk.
Yes, we can repel ants, cockroaches, and other household insects the non-toxic way. EcoWaste Coalition has come up with these down-to-earth tips:
• Remove the attraction that draws ants and roaches: Store food leftovers in containers with tight-fitting lids, sweep up crumbs and scraps, compost organics, and wash recyclables with grey water before tossing them into the recycling bin.
• Use warm soapy water to wipe/clean kitchen counters, cupboards, appliance surfaces, and the like where sticky hands or food/drink spills may have left some insect-drawing residues.
• Fix leaking and dripping water from the pipes, especially leaky pipes under the washbasin that attract roaches in.
• Squeeze calamansi into holes or cracks, or seal them, to remove insect access into your home.
• Create barriers to keep insects out such as spreading cucumber peels in places where ants enter or applying garlic or chili paste to shut them out.
• Mix equal parts of baking soda and sugar and scatter around the area where roaches go.
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