I've been posting on dropping my wife's ashes on these nostalgic Tuesdays.  Here are three photos of her:  as a baby, graduation from Hilo High School and our wedding. Continuing today, I realized I had miscounted, for  I left you two weeks ago with Pearl's Ashes #24  at the foot of a statue of what looks like her at the Jindaiji Biological Park outside of Tokyo.  Part of this problem is that I have also written a book ( which has not yet been published ) with chapters.  For example, on  22March2017 I posted on Chapter 12:  Rio de Janeiro .  As you have surely noted, I'm not exactly suffering on my quest to drop Pearl's Ashes.  Who's paying for all this?  I'm using her savings.  On 3 October 2011 I activated a  monumental around the world trip , to quote: Today I begin my final  ash scattering journey .  I'll be stopping through Bangkok, Tokyo, Zurich, Amsterdam, Stockholm, London, Sao Paulo, Rio, Buenos Aires, L...

First, some news summaries: Looks like the U.S. Congress, mostly the fault of the House, will not by Friday provide stopgap funding for some of our Federal agencies, thus partially shutting down certain departments. Big deal?  Not particularly, as this  has happened 10 times since 1981 . Also, the offices affected are not so crucial.  The important ones need funding by March 8.  But even then, "essential" employees, including the president and the Congress, will continue to work and be paid under any circumstance. The longest shutdown was during Trump's reign, when functions stopped for more than a month. Chances are that something will happen next week to again, temporarily, re-open our government. By the time you read this,  moon lander Odysseus might not be working,  a few days earlier than planned.   Not a great mission, for the lander tipped over on landing, preventing full use of the solar panels. Watch a video  of what happened. Sent a...

On Saturday, my posting was entitled,  Here We Go Again , referring to Vietnam in 1975.  Today, NBC News reported: U.S. to send 1,000 more troops to Kabul in scramble to evacuate Video: Panicked crowds descend on Kabul airport after Taliban take city Afghan women fear 'dark' future, loss of rights as Taliban take over 'Blood on his hands': Republicans criticize Biden   Analysis: Afghans were promised the U.S. would not abandon them. Now they have .   Man and nature can indeed be cruel.  Yesterday I reported in this blog that a 7.2 earthquake struck Haiti.  While this was twice as strong as the 7.0 that devastated the already poorest country in the Americas in 2010, killing 220,000, this time "only" 1200 or so died, although there surely will be more.  However, Grace makes landfall today.  Fortunately, she is now "only" a tropical depression, not the Category 5 Hurricane Matthew that creamed the nation in 2016. Finally, been swimming lately?  ...