If you have cruised, you'd probably be surprised to learn which cruise lines have risen to near the top in a wide variety of ship sizes.  It was seven years ago when I was on a  Tauck European River Cruise , which was then rated #1.  In fifth place was Viking.  I'll later let you know where they now rank in this category.  The other surprise is Norwegian Cruise Line, for they ply the islands of Hawaii, and are okay...but really good?  We'll see. So, anyway, here is how  Condé Nast Traveler  readers ranked cruise lines: Mega Ships ( more than 4000 passengers ). #3 is Norwegian Cruise Line. Their first was the Norwegian Epic in 2010, which could carry just over 5000 passengers. They now have five others.  For those seeking a more mature environment, sail on the Norwegian Bliss ( right ).  Generally sails out of Seattle, Los Angeles and sometimes Miami.   Cheapest cabin listed from $60-$120/day, although I noticed that there is a 15-day cruise from Miami to Los Angeles, depart

 I'll get to more COVID-19 details tomorrow, but here is something from the AP: German Man Caught Trying to Get 90th COVID-19 Shot A 60-year-old man was caught at a vaccination center in Eilenburg in Saxony after trying to get jabbed for the second day in a row. The man, who was carrying several blank vaccination cards, allegedly received around 90 shots at vaccination centers across the state over a period of months. Police say he has been selling forged vaccination cards with real vaccine batch numbers to anti-vaxxers who crave the Covid passports that make access to public life in Germany much easier. It was not immediately clear what impact the 90 jabs — from different brands — had on the man’s health.   (Source:   AP ) On a slightly more serious note, China has totally locked down its largest city of Shanghai of 26 million. The country has jumped to 13,000 new cases, but this compares to 19K in the USA and 127K in South Korea, which is continuing to remove restrictions.  China

   The   Star Advertiser   this morning featured an   editorial   that makes sense.  Here is the final paragraph: As the delta variant continues swirling among us, stay masked in public and do not underestimate the damage that COVID-19 can do to you, or your loved ones. And consider this choice: A weekslong, $317,810 battle in the hospital against severe COVID-19 — or a quick, free and effective shot in the arm? So much undue pain and expense could be prevented, by less than an ounce of vaccine . The morning  New York Times  showed this graph that defied expert judgement.  Pundits and medical professionals were united in predicting that the COVID-19 pandemic--with the then relatively new Delta variant which was twice as efficacious for spreading the virus--would only get worse because unvaccinated 5-11 year olds would be returning to school, universities and the NFL would be allowing full attendance at football games with no mask requirement, Broadway and other theaters announced openi