OH WHAT A GREAT COMING WEEKEND!

 I yesterday again cajoled the World Health Organization on what was holding them back from announcing the end of the pandemic.  Well, after I published, they announced the ending of the covid pandemic.   Said T.A. Ghebreyesus, WHO director general:

• ...even though the emergency phase was over, the pandemic hasn’t ended, noting recent spikes in cases in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
• One of WHO's biggest mistakes was that they recommended AGAINST mask-wearing in public during the early months.  They also were reluctant to warn people about the real danger of asymptomatic individuals.
• Mentioned was President Trump for his terrible response to the pandemic, with the U.S. experiencing the most deaths, more than a million.  
• While true, we were #1 in total deaths, with 1,162,403 deaths, the USA was #15 in deaths/million population with 3472.  Peru was #1 with 6537, Bulgaria #2 with 5601 and Hungary  with 5085.
• In total deaths, #2 Brazil with 701,833, #3 India 531,642, #4 Russia 531,642, #5 Mexico 333,913, #6 UK 223,396 and #7 Peru 220,196.
• Most countries of Europe dropped all restrictions last year, while the U.S.'s emergency declaration will expire in a week.
• With 17% of the world population, Africa only accounted for 3% of the global deaths.  However, most reviews indicate that this number was actually much, much higher.

Big weekend of activity.  Not much interest to me, but Charles will be crowned King of Great Britain (I guess they still use that name) on Saturday.  They've been doing this since 1066. He was four-years old for mum's coronation.  That was 70 years ago.  Hawaii can begin watching at 10 PM tonight.  Here are the details.

I'm also looking forward to this weekend, which began yesterday when the University of Hawaii volleyball team beat Penn State in a tense match, which I watched in our 15 Craigside movie theater.  It was not available on regular TV.  We play UCLA at 11AM Hawaii time Saturday on ESPN2 for the national championship.  If we win, this will make it three in a row.  

I will tomorrow compare life here versus on the Seabourn Odyssey.  So today I make the case for 15C.  As for example, if I were on that cruise, I would not have been able to watch that volleyball game.

Here are other activities I would have missed if away on a ship.

• Boy's Day in Japan, and Hawaii, is  today, May 5.  Free mochi here at 15 Craigside.  Colored paper (now plastic) carp are flown.  
• Why carp or koi?  Something to do with strength, courage and success, for in Chinese legend, a carp swam upstream to become a dragon.  Here is something I did not realize.   
• I always thought that there was a Boys' Day, on May 5 and Girls' Day on March 3.
• With ancestors from Japan, those in Hawaii tend to recognize similar celebrations.  

• 
  Well, it turned out that in 1948, Japan co-opted Boys' Day and made that Children's Day.  They are now on the same day, which is always the last day of Golden Week, which is from April 29 to May 5, seven days.  However, if pre- and post-days happen to fall on a weekend, you can have one or two extra days of holiday in Japan.  This is why there is considerable traveling during this period.

• 
  I don't recall Children's Day at all growing up in Hawaii.  It was always Boys' Day.
• Japan still celebrates Girls' Day on March 3, but it is not a public holiday.  
• Girl babies in their first year are get dressed in kimonos.

• 
  The dish of choice is chirashizushi, vinegared rice with vegetables, egg omelet and seafood, and pink/green and white layered mochi.

• 
  I noticed that this is a day when many families take their teenage daughter dressed in kimono out to a fancy dinner.
• Families of young girls (10 or younger) display hina dolls to ward off evil and misery.

• 
  Also called Hinamatsuri, it is also known as Doll Festival Day.  The most famous Girl's Day even is held in Katsuura, a small coast town in Chiba Prefecture.  Here are only 1800 (Tomisake Shrine) of 30,000 hina dolls displayed throughout the town.

• 
  Cinco de Mayo is always on May 5, which is today, a Friday, a big day for tequila since my time working in Washington, D.C.  And that was four decades ago.
• Never realized this till now, but this is the only 5th of the month this year.  Also, 2022 only had one 5th of the month for the year, and it was in August.  Learn something new every day.
• 
  There was a period when a group of us spent a week in the Napa/Las Vegas/Reno area golfing for a week.  This was always around Cinco de Mayo.  Here are two days from 2015:  1 and 2.  A decade ago, photo of Kenji, who led the group all those years...contemplating which bottle to drink.
• The pandemic was a problem in 2021, so here is what I did for Cinco de Mayo.

• 
  What about this year?  Perhaps Margarita and Corona with tacos and nachos.  Just so happens that 15 Craigside is having vegetable tacos as one option for dinner, so I'll grill the vegetable mix with wagyu beef fat.

• 
  The Kentucky Derby always occurs on the first Saturday in May, which will be tomorrow.  I always celebrate with their Mint Julep.
• Here is what we had last year, to the right.
• For 2023, these 17 best Kentucky Derby Cocktails are being touted.

17 Kentucky Derby Cocktail Recipes

• Mint Julep.
• Kentucky Flyer.
• Brown Sugar-Peach Mint Julep.
• 
• Pineapple Mint Julep Sangria.
• Black-Eyed Susan Cocktail.
• Blueberry Mint Julep.
• Kentucky Lemonade.
• Woodford Spire.
• Read the article for the rest of them.
• I'm considering the Woodford Spire, which calls for Woodford Reserve, lemonade and cranberry juice.  I'll top it with a sprig of mint.

• 

  As the Hawaii-UCLA volleyball championship match is at 11 AM, thinking of recording the Kentucky Derby, then have a dinner of Kentucky Fried Chicken with the Woodford Spire

One secure plus for my residence, is we don't today have any active covid cases in the building.  Return tomorrow for the final comparison of 15 Craigside vs a Seabourn cruise.  

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