Wayne O'Cohen / 上野公園

My initial goal upon joining was to create a list of trustworthy non-American sources of health-related info to which my compatriots could turn for reliable advice as the Trump regime took an ax to official US gov't sources, some of which are now archived in original form overseas. Lists are useful.

This American expat gets your point. As others on this thread have noted, creating topic-specific lists will make Bluesky more efficient & relevant. I've got about 20+ such lists on my page, and I'm always tinkering w/ them. One's devoted to European news in English, German & Dutch. Have a look.

Longtime Asia-based American expat here. List-making is vital to the efficient use of Bluesky. I perhaps mistakenly thought I needed a 3rd-party app such as Skyfeed to create such lists, but after creating the first half dozen, I've had no trouble creating more using what's available to all here.

The others? Not so much. It seems clear that many of those who plan to vote for them are doing so to keep Mamdani out of office. My problem w/ Mamdani is that many of his most prominent proposals need a huge dose of practicality. And, no, I don't believe he's an anti-Semite. That's another subject.

Yes, if I voted in NYC, instead of Jersey City (via Tokyo), I've vote for Mamdani in a heartbeat. It's very clear that he 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘺 inspires people in a way that mayoral candidates haven't in a long time. It's true that his promises are pie-in-the-sky, but the inspiration is undeniable.

I'm still amazed that Paterson is Curtis Sliwa's son's stepfather. I only learned that a few months ago, when the son was attacked.

Meanwhile, Paterson's endorsement doesn't move me at all. Adams had a chance & failed. I used to admired Cuomo, but now he disgusts me. Sliwa? Don't make me laugh.

Thanks. I'd be confused because "sg" still means Singapore to me.

My paternal uncle worked at Domino's Baltimore plant, so it was a given we'd use their Sugar 'n' Cinnamon.

McCormick's HQ is just north of B'more. In 1990, it bought Old Bay from the Baltimore Spice Co., whose plant was on the Inner Harbor waterfront, permeating downtown w/ the aroma of spice.

I could've sworn I've seen plain ol' Kerrygold here in Tokyo, but I must be mistaken. Likely one of the NZ brands. The Ornua Asia website says Kerrygold's only in China, S'pore, Malaysia & South Korea. But I've no doubt the Japanese would love this spread. No savory bagels here. Just odd sweet ones.

Vintage plastic shakers of Domino Sugar 'n' Cinnamon blend produced by the American Sugar Co., later Amstar Corp., in the 1960s & '70s. The blend, favored by American kids as a topping for toast, oatmeal and other hot breakfast cereals, waffles and pancakes, is still available, albeit in packaging with less child-oriented appeal. The roughly 5-inch-tall shakers were collected by some & used to store pennies, among other things. Photo via Ebay.

Chuck: If you were an American kid during the 1960s or early '70s, you may have sprinkled your toast--or oatmeal, cream of wheat, Malt-O-Meal, pancakes or whatever--with Domino's premixed Sugar 'n' Cinnamon blend. At least on the East Coast, where Domino had/has plants in Brooklyn & Baltimore.

Very true. Meanwhile, I pay more attention to where my food is sourced. Previously, I'd heed calls by the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute & others to buy American. Not now. Hell, no. Screw Trump. I'll buy Japanese, Canadian, Aussie, whatever.

Here's the article that caught my eye. It's about the dirty secrets in the shrimping industry. (FYI: Despite its name, the Christian Science Monitor, founded in 1908 in Boston, isn't religiously oriented. It's actually fairly liberal & opposes US "Christian" extremism.) bsky.app/profile/csmo...

China's not the only target of the Project's investigations. India & other countries also come under scrutiny. The subject matter goes beyond overfishing to cover destructive fishing methods & slavery at sea. Engaging presentation, too: text, podcasts, film, art, music. More here: theoutlawocean.com

I came across a reference here on Bluesky to Ian Urbina's reporting on Chinese fishing practices via his Outlaw Ocean Project, which lacks a presence on this platform. I tracked down the Project's website & podcast series, produced by Canada's CBC, & saw the content is actually very expansive.

In Hiroshima, search for remains keeps war alive for lone volunteer Mr Kayo’s drive for repeating the gruelling task year after year is partly personal. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

It struck me that Kayo's name is of Ryukyu origin, not mainland Japanese. I then recalled similar efforts underway in his native Okinawa. While AP's gallery is short on details, a Reuters piece in S'pore's Straits Times explains his deeply personal motivations. www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-as...

Despite several visits to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, @tokyocityurbex.bsky.social & @takeshelter.bsky.social , I can't recall hearing of Ninoshima Island's role as a mass grave for the atom bomb's victims. Nor did I learn until recently of Rebun Kayo's volunteer efforts to enshrine the dead.

US surgeon general sounds alarm about link between alcohol and cancer | CNN US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory Friday warning Americans that alcohol consumption can increase their cancer risk and called for an updated health warning label on alcoholic beve...

More about Dr. Murthy advisory here: edition.cnn.com/2025/01/03/h...

Former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who served under Biden, in January of this year called for cancer risk warning labels on alcoholic beverages. Murthy wanted consumers to know of alcohol's potential link to 7 types of cancer. What will Murthy's successor do when finally confirmed? Who knows?

Great news, but heed the important qualifiers in both sentences: "𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸," "𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥" & "𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦." In other words, no guarantees yet. Respect the data.

Wanna bet "influencers" make DIY videos for a home "cure"? How soon before an underground market for the meds pops up? Argh!

If you have an Apple device & the Apple News app, which is only available in 4 Anglophone markets, this article can be read for free. Not all WaPo articles are accessible this way, but many are. Some require an Apple+ or WaPo subscription. Alternately, try inputting the URL at the Internet Archive.

🗣️Health Misinformation UNPACKED- FULL PROGRAMME:

Discover who'll be speaking at our flagship event on health #misinformation 15 Sept 2025. Join us to hear about concepts, challenges & potential solutions.

Details/book your ticket👇

www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/e...

#WorldHepatitisDay is in 3 days!

Join the global movement to raise awareness about hepatitis.
📲 Share our campaign resources
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Let’s break it down this #WorldHepatitisDay to stop the stigma & end misinformation around hepatitis.

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After so many years in Asia, I need to get back to Europe, if only for a short vacation. And not just because I still dream in German, but never in Japanese. I'd love to trade jungle crows and masked palm civets for storks, if only for a week or two. And then there's the matter of that pilsner.

Some redistricting, even to the point of gerrymandering, is deemed essential to ensure fair minority representation. If necessary, then so be it. But let the redistricting be carried out by dispassionate, disinterested third-party experts with no skin in the game. Then rigorously review the results.

Some might say, "It's just a TV show." Yeah, but 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 a TV show! I know I'm not the only U.S. expat who considers Colbert essential viewing. Petitions? What the heck? It can't hurt to try.

The RFS Community space is only a week old and already more than 1,000 people are chatting away & getting started on their campaign prep. It’s just so cool to see the work working.

Home - World Hepatitis Alliance Upcoming webinars Make sure you are signed up to our suite of upcoming webinars over the next few weeks. Read More Abstracts for the World Hepatitis Summit 2026 are now open! Discover the 10 categorie...

See also the World Hepatitis Alliance at www.worldhepatitisalliance.org and @worldhepalliance.bsky.social‬

My fellow Americans should take time to learn more about hepatitis, now that our own U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has been compromised under the dubious leadership of RFK Jr. & his compliant underlings at the Food & Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control.

Our current nabe is home to a takeout place that's only open a couple of nights a week. Gas burner only. No 𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘯 charcoal. Very average stuff, but it offers yuzu-spiced 𝘵𝘴𝘶𝘬𝘶𝘯𝘦, wings stuffed w/ spicy 𝘵𝘴𝘶𝘬𝘶𝘯𝘦 and ginger-stuffed 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘫𝘪𝘳𝘪, or tail. Orders of 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘰 get hot miso dip on the side.

I favor 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘰 nowadays because the 𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘦 in many Tokyo yakitori joints is too sweet. A place called Kintaro in Kameari in far NE Tokyo, where we lived during our 1st stint here, offered 2 other marinade options: kimchi & hot miso paste. The latter was my fave. Sadly, such options are infrequent.