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Wayne O'Cohen / 上野公園 @wayneocohen.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Never got the knack. Been wondering if the frozen avocado chunks sold by Japanese supermarkets are any good. No shortage of the fresh kind here. Just wanna save myself some prep work for smoothies & such. Online reviews are mixed. Frozen sea buckthorn & diced sweet potato cubes are handy & tasty.

A small bag of TopValu-branded frozen avocado chunks typically sold at Aeon grocery stores, Maruetsu supermarkets & other Japanese retailers.

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Wayne O'Cohen / 上野公園 @wayneocohen.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

Just in case you're not familiar w/ the board game & penalty card I'm referring to:

The 1996 Hasbro version of the 1936 "Go to Jail" penalty card used when playing the classic American board game Monopoly. The text reads: "Community Chest. Go to Jail. Go Directly to Jail. Do Not Pass Go. Do Not Collect $200."

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Wayne O'Cohen / 上野公園 @wayneocohen.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Here's a sign that long puzzled me: a stern warning about boom boxes posted along the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway in Jersey City's Paulus Hook neighborhood, our former home. An obvious relic even in 2010 'cuz "ghetto blasters" were a thing of the '70s & '80s. Now a coded message to Black youth.

A sign posted along the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway near the Morris Canal in Jersey City's Paulus Hook neighborhood warns of the consequences of playing music on boom boxes in the New Jersey municipality.

A section of the municipal code bans the public use of such electronic devices, which were in popular in youth culture during the 1970's & '80s, but gave way to more easily portable personal devices such as the Walkman in the '90s. Although the sign seems a relic of the past, it remains in place, perhaps because the area is now heavily gentrified and on guard against urban noise.

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Wayne O'Cohen / 上野公園 @wayneocohen.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

I'm an American expat who's spent nearly half his life overseas, but I can't escape Trump's lies. Haystack, the streaming app I rely for US & world news, has been airing clips all day. Even my bingo card can't ease the stress of seeing him arrogantly leaning on the lectern & lackadaisically lying.

A meme titled State of the Union Bingo depicting a bingo card displaying US President Donald Trump's favorite talking points, false claims, filler words, lies & exaggerations, and friends & enemies. Given Trump's repetitiveness, anyone who chooses to play along will likely find their bingo card full by the end of his speech. He's that predictable.

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Wayne O'Cohen / 上野公園 @wayneocohen.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

Meanwhile, some clever soul, who's unknown to me, created this meme. It was inevitable, as was comedian Nikki Glaser's wisecrack along this very same line at the recent 2025 Golden Globe Awards show.

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Wayne O'Cohen / 上野公園 @wayneocohen.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

Interestingly, smack dab next to the article is a poll posted by the Marianas Variety, which bills itself as "Micronesia's Leading Newspaper Since 1972," asking residents if they're planning to permanently leave the archipelago, a US commonwealth. N. Marianas (CNMI)-born people are US citizens.

A poll published in the Marianas Variety, a newspaper based in the US Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI), part of the Micronesia region of the Pacific, asks readers "Are you considering leaving the CNMI permanently?" Possible answers are Yes, No and Not Sure. CNMI-born people are US citizens.

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Wayne O'Cohen / 上野公園 @wayneocohen.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

Thanks, but no thanks, Roy. I can't be arsed to create an email alias just to read this article. Say no to data harvesting. That said, I'm glad Mary Peltola is now in the running. She defeated 2 GOP'ers, including Palin, to win her House seat. Let's hope she beats the deeply unpopular Dan Sullivan.

Screenshot from the Jewish Insider website reading "Enter your email to read the full article for free." Users of the site appear to be required to register to view its content.

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Wayne O'Cohen / 上野公園 @wayneocohen.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

I suspect this is a case of the early bird getting the worm.

A robin extracts the notorious worm that made its way into RFK Jr.'s brain, ate part of it and then died. It's just a theory, but said worm might be responsible for some of the nonsense that the US Secretary of Health & Human Services frequently spouts.

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Wayne O'Cohen / 上野公園 @wayneocohen.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

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.

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.

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Wayne O'Cohen / 上野公園 @wayneocohen.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

As for soft-serve, all I could find on offer in my neighborhood is the vanilla being served by the snack counter at a newish karaoke parlor. In a mixture of 𝘬𝘢𝘯𝘢 & 𝘬𝘢𝘯𝘫𝘪, the sign advertises "ソフトクリーム食べ放題!" In other words, all-you-can-eat "soft cream" during your 3-hr. karaoke session. Uh, no thanks.

A sign outside a karaoke parlor in Tokyo's Kita-ku ward advertises all-you-can eat soft-serve vanilla ice cream for customers who book a three-hour karaoke session. Unlimited soft drinks are also available.

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Wayne O'Cohen / 上野公園 @wayneocohen.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Note the American Bar Association's statement on Pam Bondi's status as a lawyer. Don't expect the ABA to come in and strip her of her credentials and disbar her. That's not how it works.

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Wayne O'Cohen / 上野公園 @wayneocohen.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

I see masked palm civets in my neighborhood all the time, day & night. There's one that walks atop the fence separating our building from the jungle that is the lawn of an abandoned gov't employee dormitory. From a distance, it looks cat-sized, but I've seen others that are much smaller.

A masked palm civet relaxes atop a fence in Kita-ku, Tokyo. Though primarily nocturnal, civets are occasionally active during the day.

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Wayne O'Cohen / 上野公園 @wayneocohen.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

I really am out of touch w/ pop culture. Anger from Disney's "Inside Out"? When I first saw your GIF, I thought I was looking at Big Waster (大嘥鬼), the mascot of the HK Environment Bureau's food waste reduction campaign. I was surprised because I'd never seen that character so insanely angry.

In a public service announcement, Big Waster (大嘥鬼), mascot of the HK Environment and Ecology Bureau's long-running Food Wise Hong Kong Campaign waste reduction program, makes a point about the destructive environmental impact of disposable plastic tableware.

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Wayne O'Cohen / 上野公園 @wayneocohen.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

The dogs have already done their part, as this article in Germany's WirtschaftsWoche business weekly kinda sorta points out. (See Alt text for more.)

A photo of a sign bearing the words "DOGE shit" crossed out by the red circular "No" symbol accompanies an article in WirtschaftsWoche, a German business weekly. The article examines Americans' fears that Elon Musk's ostensible efficiency drive will not only shrink US governmental institutions, but destroy them. The word "DOGE" on the sign plays on Musk's association with the Dogecoin cryptocurrency, symbolized by a Shiba Inu dog. The meaning is essentially "No dog / DOGE shit."

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Wayne O'Cohen / 上野公園 @wayneocohen.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

See the resemblance? I know, right. But the thing is, in real life, Hillbilly Jim is no more an Appalachian hillbilly than J.D. Vance. Both men's roots lie elsewhere in Kentucky.

WWE wrestling star Hillbilly Jim in his 1980s heyday, sporting a huge grin and clad in his signature bib overalls, floppy hat and horseshoe necklace. The always cheerful fan favorite with the big beard was billed from Mud Lick, Kentucky. His character was based in part on a stereotypical Appalachian mountain man.

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