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DAY 5 IN SEOUL: Skeptics Guide to the Universe--Part 1

Our  final day in Seoul was immemorable.  Not much to say, so I have inserted comments on an issue of  Skeptical Inquirer  entitled  The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe .  I'm hoping to finish reading a paperback I have brought on this trip,  A History of Japan .  Only three of 18 chapters left. During long trips, I always bring along magazine subscriptions like  Scientific America n  and  Skeptical Inquirer , for they are both demanding of too much concentration, and keep piling up. The one I'm on is  Volume 49, Number 4, July/August 2025. This issue is especially interesting, pretty much summarizing their 50 years of publishing, with articles that swiftly summarize those topics of greatest interest to most. The fellows of the  Committee for Skeptical Inquiry  include people like Richard Dawkins, Ann Druyan (wife of Carl Sagan), David Morrison (you don't know him, but I do, for I once was a colleague of his at the Un...

DAY 4 IN SEOUL: Most popular Korean Songs from the 1950's to the Present

Korean music was almost totally missing, growing up in Hawaii.  The exception was  Arirang .   Today, BTS and BLACKPINK resonate around the world.  In addition to the 600 year-old  Arirang,  what is the all-time #1?  My favorites are: Baby Shark , released by Pinkfong in 2016. For one, it is the most-viewed You Tube video ever, hitting 7 billion views and surpassing  Despacito  in 2022.   Is now up to 16.47 billion views, with  Despacito  at 9 billion. Top 10 music videos, based on data from   Kworb   and   Wikipedia :  Note that most are nursery songs. "Baby Shark Dance"   – Pinkfong Kids' Songs & Stories (16.47 billion) "Despacito"   – Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee (8.91 billion) "Wheels on the Bus"   – Cocomelon Nursery Rhymes (8.29 billion) "Bath Song"   – Cocomelon Nursery Rhymes (7.31 billion) "Johny Johny Yes Papa"   – LooLoo Kids (7.13 billion) "See You Again"   –...