President Joe Biden made two talks in Europe: Yesterday at  D-Day ceremonies in Normandy, France.  Today  along the cliffs of Pointe de Hoc about heroism . The value of democracy and how we got here fades with the passage of time.   Who remembers  that 4,415 allied troops, including 2,501 Americans were killed on D-Day 80 years ago.  Worse, in the ensuing Battle of Normandy, 73,000 Allied forces were killed and 153,000 wounded.  German deaths?  between 4,000 and 9,000.   For the sake of tomorrow, let me provide a comparison:        Democracy                                                            Dictatorship        Heroes                                ...

 There are  differences  worthy of mention between Japan and Singapore:  1.39 S$ to the U.S. $1. Virtually everyone in Singapore speaks English.  Not so in Japan. The shock of cold in Singapore reminds you that you are not using a warm Japanese washlet toilet.   Most of the 50 or so TV channels in Singapore are in English.  In Japan, perhaps half dozen. The one huge negative factor is World War II.  Travel throughout the Pacific Islands, Oceania, China and Southeast Asia, and you get the same understated, but emotionally wrought response about  Japanese occupation of their territory .  It has been more than 80 years, but feelings remain.  One reason: The   Kempeitai   (the Japanese   military police ), which was the dominant occupation unit in Singapore, committed numerous atrocities towards the common people. They introduced the system of " Sook Ching ", meaning "purging through purification" in   Chinese ,...

  The Seabourn Odyssey left Cairns and is headed for New Caledonia. The Battle of the Coral Sea  occurred between 4 and 8 of May 1942, five months after Pearl Harbor.   Japan vs the USA and Australia.   First aircraft carrier battle ever fought. All the fighting, however, were carried out by airplanes from those ships. This was the first time in WWII that Japan experienced failure in a major battle. This was the victory that saved Australia, for Japan was advancing towards Australia. The U.S. knew more than the Japanese suspected, for America had broken the Japanese secret naval codes.  The strategy was to sink carriers, for that would destroy the plane runway.  The problem was that each was protected by a screen of cruisers and destroyers. The Japanese were led by Admiral Shigeyoshi Inoue, with Admiral Frank Fletcher in American command. The final truth is that this was actually a tactical victory for Japan, as the American USS Lexington carrier was scuttl...