Into a two-part democracy series, but first today, a few Trump developments. President Donald Trump delayed for a month the 25% tariff  on Canada and Mexico, but has not at this point said anything about  China .  He will be talking to Jinping Xi this week.  So don't believe what you see these days in the media. The odds for  Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard for confirmation  still remain good, but there are serious doubts. In the Gaza Strip, Phase 2 talks are beginning . Elon Musk continues his efficiency blitzkrieg, incurring the wrath of powerless Democrats.  Is his vendetta against the U.S. Agency for International Development payback for what they did to South Africa? The  State Department has effectively kidnapped USAID , with an intent to dismantle much of the funding. The Economist  has a Democracy Index : Has been re-evaluating annually since 2011.  The latest, with dark blue the most democratic and black the least...

Merry Christmas.  But first, from the  Honolulu Star-Advertiser : A Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist on Monday checks a webcam on the rim of Kilauea caldera. Kilauea began erupting again early Monday, with lava fountains up to nearly 300 feet. The eruption paused in the afternoon but lava resumed flowing onto the crater floor today . Every so often, the news of the day, or a film, or something just happens that reminds me of me.  Such is the case of a new series on Netflix,  A Man on the Inside .   Rotten Tomatoes,  95 reviewers and 92 audiences.   Read this article , which describes the production. Ted Danson plays an old, retired, engineering professor in the San Francisco Bay Area, whose wife has passed away.   Sort of like me. Of course you remember him.  Sam Malone on  Cheers , 275 episodes, where he won two Emmys and two Golden Globes.  And 53 episodes of  The Good Place , a comedy about a Heaven-esqu...

  Yesterday, Day 13 of this cruise, we sailed from Guatemala towards Costa Rica.  Dinner was at Savor, two courses of soup+salad. An Australian Shiraz. French Onion Soup and Caesar Salad. Parsnip Soup and Bean Salad.  First time I've ever had either. After dinner, on to other activities.  First, something called Lip Sync War in the Atrium, where competitors act out a song.  Then, on to the Theater for the Diva Extravaganza, Patty Dess. Patty's problem is that she tries to sing better than the divas.  The audience can't care less how well she sings.  They would rather nostalgicize with what is in their mind about the past so they can regain memories. Back to the Atrium for the Adda Band, where I had nachos and scotch. Didn't do much today, for I took only 2673 steps. We arrived for Day 14 in Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica. Has a resemblance to Nawiliwili Harbor, Kauai, where the Norwegian Pride of America visits. Noticed that the beaches here have gray sand...