But first, from Time magazine: $100 The price of oil hit $100 a barrel on Thursday for the first time since May. It comes after the Houthis of Yemen struck two Saudi tankers in the Red Sea, enforcing a long-threatened blockade of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, another shipping route crucial to the world’s energy supplies. From the New York Times (Sam Sifton) this morning: The Trump administration has imposed new tariffs on goods from more than 80 countries . The tariffs, along with the war in Iran, are threatening the U.S. economy . For my readership, here are some upcoming journeys. August-September 2026:   Total Eclipse of the Sun . Ever see a total eclipse of the Sun?   This is the one where you will feel that extra chill, gets almost dark and some animals think it is the end of the day.   My one experience was on 11July1991 over the Big Island of Hawaii on by wife's birthday .  To quote that posting, it is pretty amazing that the coverage is...

But first, Sheraton Yokohama Bay highlights of our Sheraton Club eats/drinks and breakfasts. Breakfast stations. Then taxi off to the Diamond Princess.  Fall colors. Approaching from the rear of the Diamond Princess. Departure of Diamond Princess from Yokohama, Departure snack of lamb, beef, penne pasta, Johnny Walker Gold and champagne. Leaving Yokohama. We then went to Kai Sushi for dinner, Sushi and sake dinner, Then, off to Fun Dance Class. That followed by karaoke. The night continued into some old time disco.  Finally, after midnight, back to our stateroom.  Walked 4127 steps today. -

One of the special attractions about Japan is their animal restaurants.  For example, we never saw a capybara when we visited the San Diego Zoo last month, but heard about the   Yokohama Capabara Cafe and Petting Zoo .  Has an admission fee of 4800 Yen.  The exchange rate today is 157Y to the $, so the actual cost is $21 just to enter.  Checked and learned that this attraction is has permanently closed.  Owner Shiramizu passed away and the capybaras were re-homed. Here is a  video featuring all kinds of animal cafes in Tokyo .  Some of them reported by Google AI: Hedgehog cafes :   Cafes like the   Chiku Chiku Cafe   allow visitors to hold and feed hedgehogs. Other locations, like the   HARRY cafes , have expanded to include hedgehogs and other small animals. Owl cafes:   In some Tokyo cafes, visitors can interact with and pet owls, including large and small varieties. The experience often involves gentle touching and hold...