Froma Harrop had a recent op-ed entitled, Some countries are happier than others--or are they?   Essentially, she said, Finland is the world's happiest country--fourth year in a row!  At least, according to the World Happiness Report from the United Nations.  The U.S. ranked 14th in the latest, but here is a compilation from 2018-2020, where we are shown at #19: Apparently, this UN report did not ask anyone how they felt about the weather.  How can you be happy when the worst day in London, every day, is like Finland everyday?   One February I went to Helsinki and experienced something that was stunning.  Well-covered with gloves, hat and neck wrap, I walked outside my hotel on a sunny day and instantaneously my nose froze.  The ground was really slippery with ice.  I told myself the next time I come here I would wear a motorcycle helmet  ( in case you fall ) with face covering pre-treated for fog breath.  Maybe golf shoes with real spikes.  But then, you can't walk indoors wi

I've recently been fixated on global adventures, so on this Sunday, what about spiritual sites?  Here are a few prominent locations to consider, going west from Honolulu: Cape Reinga, New Zealand, sacred to the Maori people. Uluru, Australia:  home of the aboriginal people, one of the oldest civilizations, the plateau rises to 1,142 feet. Ubud, Bali:  Hindu harmony, plus spiritual Monkey Forest. Kyoto, Japan :  was Japan's capital for over a thousand years, and is the cultural heart of the country.  This would be the start from which you can go to Shikoku to visit 88 temples , a trek of 746 miles by foot, although there is a bus tour. Bhutan:  said to be the last Shangri-La, this is a tiny Buddhist country, measuring prosperity in terms of Gross National Happiness. Angkor Wat , Cambodia:  goes back to the 12th century and Hindu mythology, with Buddhist enhancements. Adam's Peak, Sri Lanka:  7500 feet tall, where a five-foot depression in the rock at the peak is a footprint