Wayne O'Cohen / 上野公園
@wayneocohen.bsky.social
Maryland native, adopted New Jerseyan, current Tokyoite whose heart's in Hong Kong. Syracuse grad; postgrad at Gutenberg Universität Mainz. Entertainment writer formerly of Japan's Mainichi Shimbun and Asahi Shimbun. Interests: Media biz, Asian history
Pinned
I've updated the lists of accounts I follow, adding 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗨𝗦 / 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 & 𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀, which focuses on outlets outside of the 3 Mid-Atlantic states I've called home. There's a separate list for 𝗡𝗝 / 𝗡𝗬 / 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘆𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱. Also new is 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 / 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺 / 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱, still very much a grab bag.
Just streamed a segment of Jen Psaki's show on @ms.now & would recommend checking out DOJ vet Stacey Young's newish @justiceconnection.bsky.social, "a network of DOJ alumni who are standing up for the rule of law and protecting our former colleagues who’ve been targeted by this administration."
January 14, 2026 at 2:13 PM
Just streamed a segment of Jen Psaki's show on @ms.now & would recommend checking out DOJ vet Stacey Young's newish @justiceconnection.bsky.social, "a network of DOJ alumni who are standing up for the rule of law and protecting our former colleagues who’ve been targeted by this administration."
Nonvoting US Congresswoman King-Hinds has a slew of concerns about deep-sea mining & told the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management so. The E & SE Asia-Pacific region should be equally concerned. She warns "that scientific uncertainty & gaps in existing law require heightened caution, not acceleration."
Rep. Kimberlyn King-Hinds emphasizes caution amidst the advancing federal review of offshore minerals in the Northern Mariana Islands.
www.mvariety.com/news/local/l...
www.mvariety.com/news/local/l...
King-Hinds calls for caution as federal review of offshore minerals near CNMI moves forward - Marianas Variety News & Views
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Office of the CNMI Congressional Delegate) — U.S. Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds is urging a careful, legally grounded approach to any future federal action involving offshore...
www.mvariety.com
January 14, 2026 at 8:53 AM
Nonvoting US Congresswoman King-Hinds has a slew of concerns about deep-sea mining & told the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management so. The E & SE Asia-Pacific region should be equally concerned. She warns "that scientific uncertainty & gaps in existing law require heightened caution, not acceleration."
"The New York Taxi Workers Alliance announced their support for the nomination. 'Our brother, Mayor Mamdani fought in the trenches for economic justice alongside taxi drivers before he became mayor,' said Bhairavi Desai, the union's executive director."
Note: WCBS is the flagship of owner CBS News.
Note: WCBS is the flagship of owner CBS News.
This is an important position for the new mayor, who, as an assemblyman, went on a hunger strike with taxi drivers over debt forgiveness 5 years ago.
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani nominates Midori Valdivia to lead Taxi and Limousine Commission
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday nominated Midori Valdivia to lead the Taxi and Limousine Commission.
cbsloc.al
January 14, 2026 at 8:24 AM
"The New York Taxi Workers Alliance announced their support for the nomination. 'Our brother, Mayor Mamdani fought in the trenches for economic justice alongside taxi drivers before he became mayor,' said Bhairavi Desai, the union's executive director."
Note: WCBS is the flagship of owner CBS News.
Note: WCBS is the flagship of owner CBS News.
The term "retronym" is new to me, but it shouldn't be because the English language is now full of them. Many are byproducts of technological advances. A thread worth following. Love how the mischievous M-W social comms team get in their usual dose of humor w/ "Star Wars" & "Star Trek" references.
Acoustic guitars used to just be called ‘guitars.’
Then, we invented electric guitars. Oh no.
Which meant saying ‘guitar’ wasn’t clear enough.
So 'guitars' became 'acoustic guitars.'
‘Acoustic guitar’ is an example of a ‘retronym.’
🧵⬇️
Then, we invented electric guitars. Oh no.
Which meant saying ‘guitar’ wasn’t clear enough.
So 'guitars' became 'acoustic guitars.'
‘Acoustic guitar’ is an example of a ‘retronym.’
🧵⬇️
January 14, 2026 at 6:23 AM
The term "retronym" is new to me, but it shouldn't be because the English language is now full of them. Many are byproducts of technological advances. A thread worth following. Love how the mischievous M-W social comms team get in their usual dose of humor w/ "Star Wars" & "Star Trek" references.
They don't make 'em like that anymore.
January 13, 2026 at 11:30 AM
They don't make 'em like that anymore.
The executive order is retroactive & effective immediately for those eligible. They were previously disqualified for life. The change may affect 350,000+ residents statewide & reshape juries, whose pools federal law & Supreme Court precedent say must reflect a “fair cross-section” of the community.
Murphy restores jury service eligibility for people with past convictions in New Jersey
Murphy restores jury service eligibility for people with past convictions in New Jersey
Executive order lifts jury exclusions for residents who’ve completed sentences, broadening jury pools, renewing calls for a permanent legislative change
jerseyvindicator.org
January 12, 2026 at 2:33 PM
The executive order is retroactive & effective immediately for those eligible. They were previously disqualified for life. The change may affect 350,000+ residents statewide & reshape juries, whose pools federal law & Supreme Court precedent say must reflect a “fair cross-section” of the community.
Virtual & open to all: • "Explore real-world pathways that can lead a young person from curiosity or grievance to full ideological commitment" • "Examine adolescent identity formation, search for belonging & purpose & psychological factors that can increase susceptibility to extremist narratives"
🚨 New event!
How do teens get pulled into extremist ideologies? Join us for a panel on pathways to radicalization - identity, belonging, trauma & the online ecosystem - featuring a parent’s firsthand story and expert insight.
🗓️ Jan 14 | 🕙 10am ET
📍Online
Register now👇
How do teens get pulled into extremist ideologies? Join us for a panel on pathways to radicalization - identity, belonging, trauma & the online ecosystem - featuring a parent’s firsthand story and expert insight.
🗓️ Jan 14 | 🕙 10am ET
📍Online
Register now👇
Part I - Pathways to Radicalization: How Teens Are Drawn In | Program on Extremism | The George Washington University
Featuring Dr. Miri Bar-Halpern, Jacob Ware and Bradley Parents; moderated by Senior Research Fellow David Collins.
extremism.gwu.edu
January 12, 2026 at 2:14 PM
Virtual & open to all: • "Explore real-world pathways that can lead a young person from curiosity or grievance to full ideological commitment" • "Examine adolescent identity formation, search for belonging & purpose & psychological factors that can increase susceptibility to extremist narratives"
It's said trust takes years to build, seconds to break & forever to repair. "[The video] clearly shows that Good ... was not the aggressor. And yet – because the constantly lying Trump administration is insisting against all evidence that she was – the coverage treats that like a debatable point."
My take on coverage of the ICE slaying in Minneapolis: Why would anyone trust a news organization that treats obvious truths as debatable? presswatchers.org/2026/01/why-...
Why would anyone trust a news organization that treats obvious truths as debatable? | Press Watch
The ICE agent who killed Renee Nicole Good was the aggressor, not the victim. That’s not a hard one.
presswatchers.org
January 11, 2026 at 1:36 PM
It's said trust takes years to build, seconds to break & forever to repair. "[The video] clearly shows that Good ... was not the aggressor. And yet – because the constantly lying Trump administration is insisting against all evidence that she was – the coverage treats that like a debatable point."
Oh, the irony. The sickening irony.
I’m sorry, the US is about to attack a country because its police force is killing protestors while federalized US police forces are *checks notes* killing protestors?
January 11, 2026 at 9:21 AM
Oh, the irony. The sickening irony.
Can't say I'm shedding any tears for US organizers. They & official US sponsors can speak up more forcefully. And if anyone needed more proof that the oft-repeated trope that "Trump's running the US gov't like a business" is absolute rubbish ... well, look no further. Does this make business sense?
The World joins the #ICEOut4Good protests by cancelling their tickets to the World Cup.
January 11, 2026 at 7:50 AM
Can't say I'm shedding any tears for US organizers. They & official US sponsors can speak up more forcefully. And if anyone needed more proof that the oft-repeated trope that "Trump's running the US gov't like a business" is absolute rubbish ... well, look no further. Does this make business sense?
My sentiments exactly. But given the way people are dressed, this photo was surely taken at a different time of year & perhaps in a different place. In the wake of George Floyd's murder, maybe? That took place in spring & a bystander's video was crucial evidence. Minneapolis is frigid now.
January 11, 2026 at 7:09 AM
My sentiments exactly. But given the way people are dressed, this photo was surely taken at a different time of year & perhaps in a different place. In the wake of George Floyd's murder, maybe? That took place in spring & a bystander's video was crucial evidence. Minneapolis is frigid now.
Hear more from Derek and co-hosts Julian Walker & Matthew Remski on the very worthwhile Conspirituality podcast. Their aim is noble and necessary: "Investigating the intersection of conspiracy theories and spiritual influence to uncover cults, pseudoscience, and authoritarian extremism." Link below.
January 10, 2026 at 5:56 PM
Hear more from Derek and co-hosts Julian Walker & Matthew Remski on the very worthwhile Conspirituality podcast. Their aim is noble and necessary: "Investigating the intersection of conspiracy theories and spiritual influence to uncover cults, pseudoscience, and authoritarian extremism." Link below.
If you're an American, you've likely seen him on NBC-affiliated network news or heard his Meidas Health podcast. Now find out how public health physician & pulmonologist Dr. Vin Gupta got into medicine, in a special edition of the American Federation of Teachers' "Vital Lessons" series.
My origin story to becoming a doctor.
Thank you to @aft.org for giving me the chance and space to share it.
Thank you to @aft.org for giving me the chance and space to share it.
January 10, 2026 at 2:38 PM
If you're an American, you've likely seen him on NBC-affiliated network news or heard his Meidas Health podcast. Now find out how public health physician & pulmonologist Dr. Vin Gupta got into medicine, in a special edition of the American Federation of Teachers' "Vital Lessons" series.
So proud of my hometown. There's more to it than "The Wire" and "Homicide: Life on the Street." And the films of John Waters and Barry Levinson don't quite encapsulate it either. Lotsa good people there. And ICE ain't welcome. Go away, hon!
January 10, 2026 at 9:12 AM
So proud of my hometown. There's more to it than "The Wire" and "Homicide: Life on the Street." And the films of John Waters and Barry Levinson don't quite encapsulate it either. Lotsa good people there. And ICE ain't welcome. Go away, hon!
Recalled a past chat about Chinese fishing practices when I learned a new term, @ytsl.bsky.social: distant-water fishing fleet. An unregulated squid fishery in the S. Atlantic is a disaster in the making. "Whales, dolphins, seals, sea birds & commercially important fish depend on the cephalopod."
🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
Why are we still allowing this to happen? why isn't banned like whale hunting and elephant poaching ?
aaaargh I despair!
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Why are we still allowing this to happen? why isn't banned like whale hunting and elephant poaching ?
aaaargh I despair!
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘Mad fishing’: the super-size fleet of squid catchers plundering the high seas
Every year a Chinese-dominated flotilla big enough to be seen from space pillages the rich marine life on Mile 201, a largely ungoverned part of the South Atlantic off Argentina
www.theguardian.com
January 7, 2026 at 5:57 PM
Recalled a past chat about Chinese fishing practices when I learned a new term, @ytsl.bsky.social: distant-water fishing fleet. An unregulated squid fishery in the S. Atlantic is a disaster in the making. "Whales, dolphins, seals, sea birds & commercially important fish depend on the cephalopod."
And that's just the beginning. You could just as easily add "Housing, not Ballrooms" and "Lower Prices, not Tariffs." But I suspect Trump and his band of sycophantic jackasses will ever get the nation's priorities straight. Theirs, perhaps. But not ours.
January 6, 2026 at 5:48 PM
And that's just the beginning. You could just as easily add "Housing, not Ballrooms" and "Lower Prices, not Tariffs." But I suspect Trump and his band of sycophantic jackasses will ever get the nation's priorities straight. Theirs, perhaps. But not ours.
New Year, same shit, indeed. Not sure about Berlin, but Tokyo is increasingly a bike-friendlier city. More bike lanes, cyclist insurance & helmets required or encouraged, and more parking. But bad habits persist: motorists still act like kings of the road & speeding ebikers a threat in ped zones.
#Morgen!
#RespectCyclists #Fahrraddemo am 7.1.2026
New Year, same shit!
Zur #Neujahrsfahrt statten wir der #LehrterStraße in #Tiergarten einen Besuch ab!
👉️ 17:30 Falkplatz - 18:15 Abfahrt
👉️ ZK: 18:40 Lehrterstraße / Eingang Poststadion
#Berlin #Schulwegsicherheit #Flächengerechtigkeit #b0701
#RespectCyclists #Fahrraddemo am 7.1.2026
New Year, same shit!
Zur #Neujahrsfahrt statten wir der #LehrterStraße in #Tiergarten einen Besuch ab!
👉️ 17:30 Falkplatz - 18:15 Abfahrt
👉️ ZK: 18:40 Lehrterstraße / Eingang Poststadion
#Berlin #Schulwegsicherheit #Flächengerechtigkeit #b0701
January 6, 2026 at 4:11 PM
New Year, same shit, indeed. Not sure about Berlin, but Tokyo is increasingly a bike-friendlier city. More bike lanes, cyclist insurance & helmets required or encouraged, and more parking. But bad habits persist: motorists still act like kings of the road & speeding ebikers a threat in ped zones.
The right idea for the times, even in Iowa. I recall an FB thread in which some criticized the rollout of naloxone kits to 𝘌𝘔𝘛𝘴 & 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘴, for chrissakes, claiming addicts would "party" harder, knowing they could be revived if they OD'd. This won't stop the flow of drugs, but it beats blowing up boats.
"It’s somewhere to relax, fan out on Iowa football, and—as of August—pick up free naloxone, birth control, emergency contraceptives, gun locks, wound care kits, and needle disposal kits."
Dispensing ‘Free Chances at Life’: Public Health Vending Machines Are More Than a Novelty
Vending machines dispensing free naloxone and other harm reduction tools are cropping up around the country. Evidence shows the strategy is working.
globalhealthnow.org
December 19, 2025 at 2:22 PM
The right idea for the times, even in Iowa. I recall an FB thread in which some criticized the rollout of naloxone kits to 𝘌𝘔𝘛𝘴 & 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘴, for chrissakes, claiming addicts would "party" harder, knowing they could be revived if they OD'd. This won't stop the flow of drugs, but it beats blowing up boats.
Lotsa great responses to this post--and you don't have to be a New Yorker to get the humor. But it helps to remember that old Steely Dan song. And not to get offended when someone jokes about putting the trans in mass transit.
Is the MTA making merch with the F M Swap icon cause they should be
December 18, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Lotsa great responses to this post--and you don't have to be a New Yorker to get the humor. But it helps to remember that old Steely Dan song. And not to get offended when someone jokes about putting the trans in mass transit.
True patriots in Boston know a thing or two about freedom and independence. From ICE, that is. There's nothing revolutionary about that notion.
December 18, 2025 at 8:41 AM
True patriots in Boston know a thing or two about freedom and independence. From ICE, that is. There's nothing revolutionary about that notion.
Another classic. Courtesy of warm-hearted folks in Brooklyn. This is no time to let the nation freeze over. An ICE-free New Year is my wish.
December 18, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Another classic. Courtesy of warm-hearted folks in Brooklyn. This is no time to let the nation freeze over. An ICE-free New Year is my wish.
I sort of get the idea. My friends & I smoked pipes filled w/ Middleton's Cherry Blend and Swisher Sweets cigars as teens. Thought the image was funny. No intention of ever doing so again. Hard no to vaping, too. Tobacco-free Angel’s Cigs feature mullein, marshmallow leaf, damiana & raspberry leaf.
As part of our annual Gift Guide, self-described “weird girl” Emily Schexnayder on the impetus behind Angel’s Cigs.
For an Herbal Cigarette Maker, “Heritage Brands” Are the Aesthetic Inspiration • The Austin Chronicle
Smoking kills! And yet, the kids keep doing it – the World Health Organization now warns that nine times more children than adults are vaping, fueling a “new wave of nicotine addiction.” Teens may be ...
www.austinchronicle.com
December 18, 2025 at 5:50 AM
I sort of get the idea. My friends & I smoked pipes filled w/ Middleton's Cherry Blend and Swisher Sweets cigars as teens. Thought the image was funny. No intention of ever doing so again. Hard no to vaping, too. Tobacco-free Angel’s Cigs feature mullein, marshmallow leaf, damiana & raspberry leaf.
Nailed it, Mehdi! I'm so sick of Musk and his bullshittin' & bellyachin'. I wouldn't touch Xitter w/ a bargepole. Mehdi's old MSNBC show was a masterclass in how to do an interview. His style, like those of fellow Brits Stephen Sackur & Tim Sebastian, ain't some Yanks' cuppa tea, but it's effective.
December 14, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Nailed it, Mehdi! I'm so sick of Musk and his bullshittin' & bellyachin'. I wouldn't touch Xitter w/ a bargepole. Mehdi's old MSNBC show was a masterclass in how to do an interview. His style, like those of fellow Brits Stephen Sackur & Tim Sebastian, ain't some Yanks' cuppa tea, but it's effective.
I gotta admit it. The sign brigade in West Los Angeles might just outshine their New Jersey peers from time to time. But sugar and spice aren't what come to mind when I think of ICE. The sweet taste of victory won't come until those goons are gone.
December 13, 2025 at 7:26 PM
I gotta admit it. The sign brigade in West Los Angeles might just outshine their New Jersey peers from time to time. But sugar and spice aren't what come to mind when I think of ICE. The sweet taste of victory won't come until those goons are gone.
I love these folks in Paramus. They've delivered some real zingers in recent months. It comes naturally. They're from Jersey.
December 13, 2025 at 7:19 PM
I love these folks in Paramus. They've delivered some real zingers in recent months. It comes naturally. They're from Jersey.