Yesterday I focused on Woodstock , that generation-defining rock concert held 57 years ago.  I opened with those wildfires in Southern California.  I should have also added another, more serious one, in Indonesia.  From Google AI: Indonesia is currently battling its worst season of toxic forest and peatland wildfires in over a decade , which have scorched nearly two million hectares of land and triggered severe health crises across Southeast Asia. Artificial intelligence is playing a major dual role in this crisis, serving as both a powerful tool for emergency detection and a vehicle for misinformation on social media . [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ] The Scale of the Havoc Unprecedented Destruction: Spurred by a severe, climate-change-fueled El Niño dry season , fires concentrated heavily in Borneo (Kalimantan) and Sumatra have generated massive plumes of dense smoke. Independent monitors like the Nusantara Atlas estimate the burned area at over 1.9 million hecta...

The Diamond Princess is in Langkawi, Malaysia. On to lunch. Again, noodles with assorted veggies and meats.  With Kirin Lager Beer. I'm in a good rut, for after lunch I got sleepy and took a nap,  After awakening, did some exercising.  Then a pre-dinner Johnny Walker Gold Label to watch the sunset in the Crooners Bar,being entertained by pianist David Juneau. Got a better table to see the sun setting. Wasn't really hungry at all, but had a reservation at the International Dining Room, and ordered two soup and salad combos.  The first one was green salad with trio of cheese and pecans, plus  Tom Kah Gai , which is a Thai coconut-chicken soup.  Both excellent, The second set was a Caesar Salad plus Won Ton Soup,  Also very good. Then to the Explorers Lounge for karaoke. A couple nights ago I showed a video of me singing a song the first time.  That one by John Denver.  Did not go well,  Never attempt to do that in a public karaoke setting....

  Day 2 on the Diamond Princess cruise #2:  arrival in Port Klang, Malaysia. The usual noodles lunch, with beer. I take long naps after lunch because we have an active nightlife that extends beyond midnight.  Walked a short bit in the hallway, showered, and off to Good Times at Sea for a Johnny Walker Gold Label on rocks. Then on to dinner at Sabbatini's.  Bread, with a glass of Seghesio Zinfandel and the Johnny Walker Gold Label from Good Times. First, an appetizer called arancini, a Sicilian dish of deep-fried rice ball with mozzarella cheese in the middle.  Always comes, and this is our third time here, Next, a Salumi Misti and Truffle Risotto,  I'm getting to love the al dente risotto.  I specifically asked to limit the quantity by a factor of two, One meatball over spaghetti. Then an Osso Buco, which comes with a different kind of risotto.  Excellent. Piece of grilled codfish. Then off to line dancing and karaoke in Club Fusion, followed by d...

 The Diamond Princess left Singapore yesterday and will take the following route. Our first stop will be the largest port in Malaysia, Military Port Kelang, also known as Port Klang.  Kuala Lumpur is 24 miles away. We were here when our Regent Seven Seas Explorer stopped at Port Klang 3 years ago, so we we'll skip the tour and save $500.  These tours are not cheap.  On the Regent, all tours are free.  However, you pay a lot/night.   Click on this and read the details of our previous visit .  I'll show some highlight photos. The Blue Mosque. Hindu temple, Second tallest building in the world, Merdeka 118. A Kuala Lumpur street scene. Day 3 means a short stop at Langkawi. We might go on a tour, and maybe not. Langkawi is an archipelago of 99 islands Was a haven for pirates in the northern part of the Strait of Malacca. Ruled by the British until Malaya gained independence in 1957. Now gets 3.5 foreign tourists/year. I asked Google AI about Langkawi ...