Recently, in the agonizing run-up to this God-forsaken election [1], I’ve been coming across the idiom “Drink the Kool-Aid” much more often than I’d like or even expect. Accordingly, I took it upon myself to express my indignation.  Before clowns got creepy Then I thought: Do I even know what it means, really? Where did the phrase come from? I wasn’t sure, and I wasn’t sure people who have been using the phrase were sure. (I’ve become forgetful in my geezerhood.) And so, like so many of us do when we aren’t sure, I resorted to Wikipedia: "Drinking the Kool-Aid" is an expression used to refer to a person who believes in a possibly doomed or dangerous idea because of perceived potential high rewards. The phrase often carries a negative connotation. It can also be used ironically or humorously to refer to accepting an idea or changing a preference due to popularity, peer pressure, or persuasion. The phrase originates from events in Jonestown , Guyana , on November 18, 197

April 18, 2007 Masan, South Korea   Today I witnessed a strange encounter between animals—a cat and two magpies.  I had never seen anything like it.  I was walking from the library to the Eng. Dept. Building ( In Mun Kwon ).  There was an orange cat relaxing on the concrete steps of the soccer field, just enjoying the short period of sunshine.  Two magpies were hopping about nearby, only two meters away, calling at the cat, “Chak chak chak!  Chak chak chak!”  What was odd was that the cat seemed utterly unconcerned, as if the magpies weren’t there.  At most, mildly annoyed.  He stretched, yawned, turned over and rubbed his back on the warm concrete.  Then he got up and starting walking slowly away, not even looking at the noisy birds.  They kept yelling, “Chak chak chak!” trying to get his attention, hopping on either side of him, staying just far enough away in case the cat lost his cool and lashed out.  I just watched, amazed.  What was going on?  Is this how Korean a

Or 007 Was Here   ジェームズ・ボンド March 1, 2004 Nishinomiya, Japan If you are a real 007 fan, dear reader, you can easily disregard Connery, Moore, Brosnan or the latest movie Bond, whoever he or she may be.  Forget for the moment all those bloated Hollywood travesties.  They had little to do with Ian Fleming and his immortal hero, the real James Bond.  He was here in Japan, in the early sixties, though you would not have recognized him. Fleming at  Oniyama Jigoku, Beppu, Kyushu Nineteen sixty-four was a big year for Japan.   The Tokyo Olympics put Japan on the world stage again, this time as a friendly, progressive power, going places.   Massive construction projects raised dust-clouds in the metropolis.   In June, the Beatles arrived: Yeah, yeah, yeah!.   Japanese culture and technology were showcased at the New York World’s Fair.  The Hanshin Tigers (my team 38 years later) won the Central League Pennant for the second time in three years.  At the time, pe

April 1, 2020 The current run [1] on toilet paper is not a big deal; it’s trivial, I know.   After this Covid-19 pandemic is over (Please God!), the TP story will survive only as a footnote in the many books that will come out focusing on the folly, misery and unimaginable tragedy. [2] The following anecdote is just one of millions here in the US, most of which are surely funnier or more interesting.   The reader, therefore, is warned—and may at the same time be relieved that I’ll not discuss this catastrophe, though I am well aware of it.   (How could one not be aware?)  This morning at about 6:45 I made an early run (sorry!) to a big supermarket on the north side of town, not the usual one we shop at.   I’d recently learned that it was open for “seniors and vulnerable” only on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 9:00.    I was pleased to see, as I approached, the huge parking was not crowded at all.   Entering the store, and using one of the wipes [3] to wipe [3] off the han