Dr. Albert Hofmann died today, age 102. He was a pioneer scientist. No doubt he worked with stuff that was dangerous - mainly to the status...

A friend from school days passed away last week, a few days shy of 50 years of age. It's a long time since last we met. Seeing his obitu...

The United States of America was founded on key concepts defined by the Constitution and its laws. One of the most important has required ch...

In Japan twenty years ago I worked on a large "Corporate Citizenship" consulting project for Toyota. They took careful note of our...

"I saw a guy with three Purple Hearts and a Silver Cross turned into a weak, wimpy, lying coward, in order to make sure that a weak, wi...

Open letter to Cal State East Bay University Office of the President Here in far-off South Korea it has come to my attention that employees ...

The USA and its political leadership need a lesson in democracy. Stupidly, many Americans have been led to believe that we can teach democra...

The USA merrily greets the rest of the world with the threat of torture. Don't get involved with anti-US activities. The secret anti-ter...

An excellent compilation by Seldes, George (1985) The Great Thoughts contains thought-provoking quotes: "No one can possibly achieve a...

The Guantanamo Bay detention camp is a defilement of US law, lacking in civilized fairness and due process. There may be some very bad '...

Senate Majority Leader Senator Harry Reid Dear Senator Reid I urge you to please support democracy and open government - do not allow teleco...

Time marches on... I've read media stories of people being surprised that others had never heard of the musicians "the Beatles"...

Japan's whaling season has begun. This week a fleet of ships leaves Shimonoseki, Japan, on a five-month hunt to the South Pacific. Missi...

Bridge team from USA (yes, card players) accused of sedition Link:   Uproar Over Fact or Anti-Bush? Some call Him ... Moloch Truly...

In Japan, the phrase Autumn appetite (食欲の秋) explains the special tastes and hungers of the Fall season. Today my sense of taste was uncommon...

It is odd how some things make a big impression. This weekend an Australian newsreader, Charmaine Dragun, tragically threw herself from a cl...

haiku of surprise by Genki (RIP Rita) Two minute warning (?!) But life ain't the NFL - Many die surprised.

In his inaugural address on 20th January 1989, President George Bush spoke of a "thousand points of light." His reference was to c...

Tonight I sat at a local restaurant in central Seoul where news images on a large-screen TV silently showed of South Korean President Roh Mo...

"... We have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men a...

After many entries here critical of politicians, it is perhaps time to be critical of those managing religion. The Roman Catholic Church, go...

Guns not butter, by Genki The high school has no music class Our younger kids lost art To play school sports requires cash The poorer never ...

Americans in their nervous Homeland have been taught to use the terms 'surge' and 'weapons of mass destruction' - alternativ...

Tray of coarse red foods Lone Seoul diner, tepid soup Floating chili oil Carafe of water Cool and clean, full and sweating Absorb; Refresh...

Rats now abandon the sinking ship Bush. Many keep their mouths shut, or work to obscure mendacity and lies. Until now, Colin Powell has been...

On 4th April 1967, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was already a world famous Nobel Prize winner when he delivered an important speech at Ri...

Recent awakenings among US Democrats (and others) claim they were blindsided by government assurances over Iraq and its dangers. It was cle...

Immigrants have a hard time in making their lives in a new nation. And immigrants have helped many nations in fundamental ways. We can celeb...

Perhaps US immigration rules are flawed in fundamental ways. The long delay in processing spouse visas for US citizen family members is terr...

The USA is endangering East Asia and wasting huge resources jerking around with North Korea. Why? The US agreed many months ago to return $2...