Since this blog was created more than 15 years ago, 2.92 million individuals have visited this site from 221 countries.  There there are only 195 actual countries, but there are domains for places like Antarctica, so there are 26 locations not considered to be nations.   For a reason I can't explain, more people/million from  Singapore  visit this blog site by a very large amount : Singapore   75,161 USA   706 Canada  450 Australia  319 UK   292 Netherlands  236 Denmark  216 France  141 Germany  140 Japan    76 Thailand   50 I will be visiting countries shown in  BOLD ( blue)  print on this global adventure. The key question is why is Singapore so far ahead?  Maybe because English is the dominant language of the country. But that's also true for many other nations.  Anyone in Singapore:  send me an e-mail if you think you know why.   PATKENTAK@HOTMAIL.COM    Perhaps because Singapore is technologically advanced and particularly curious about what I write. Okay, then, we were y

First, the usual news summary: Israel-Hamas war. Rockets are about all there is today, including to Tel Aviv. Israel army readied to invade Gaza Strip and reinforce the north.  While there is a war unity alliance, Netanyahu's position is weakening within the country. Misinformation.  Both sides are using the virtual media to exaggerate their claims to gain international understanding.  This is leading to a  lot of misinformation  and doubt about what really is going on. More online fake news. U.S. House of Representatives. Jim Jordan will come up for a floor vote next week to become speaker.  Exact date?  His position is too weak to do this yet.   Lots of luck James. Bipartisan unity? Well, on to the topic of the day, which is travel.  Why?  We are exactly two weeks away from our trip to Japan.  Nine-days on the Diamond Princess around Japan, with a stop in Busan, South Korea, plus three separate 7-day green car Japan Rail Passes to follow the fall colors from Hokkaido down to Kago

  It's been months since I focused on film and series programs.  We must have watched at least 25 flicks on the Seabourn Odyssey.  We've been home now for more than a month, and I have still avoided movie theaters.   Here are a few noteworthy productions worthy of your interest. On Netflix is  Missing ,  a gripping, high tech effort with wild twists that made me envious.  Why?  The teenage girl seeks to find her "missing" mother and boyfriend on a trip to Cartegena, Columbia.  This youngster is a whiz on the computer, something I just cannot do.  A 2023 film,  Rotten Tomatoes  gave it 87/90 scores. I loved  Good Night Oppy,  an inspirational documentary about Opportunity, a rover that was sent to Mars for a 3 month mission, but survived for 15 years.  Released late last year, the film shows how a robot and humans can bond from distances that varied from 36 million to 250 miles away.  Did he find life on Mars?  Not really, but Oppy had perseverance.  As one critic said