On this nostalgic Tuesday, I return to our first Diamond Princess cruise that was close to starting the   Covid Pandemic.  As you know if you read this blog, two weeks from today we again board the Diamond Princess for a 9-day cruise around Japan. But first, just one news flash.  The U.S. House of Representative remained paralyzed when Congressman  Jim Jordan lost the vote today to become speaker .  In a way, this was embarrassing, for he walked unto the floor with a sense of confidence, but was rebuffed by 20 Republicans who voted for someone else.  Democrats all voted for Hakeem Jeffries, who beat Jordan, 212-200.  But with no majority vote of 217 or more, no winner.  Next vote will come at 11AM on Wednesday.  I said yesterday there was no way he could prevail, and GOP sources today said that opposition to Jordan could actually grow in future votes.  I still think that Kevin McCarthy will ultimately return to the speakership, with unofficial cooperation from Democrats, effectively,

Remember the parable of the  Blind Men and an Elephant?   Well, the Republican Party is at a crucial crossroad about where they're headed. First Republican presidential debate?   Read this .   And this . Japan releasing nuclear contaminated wastewater into the Pacific?   Read this .  Dumping of radiated fluids will need to go on for the next forty or so years.  International relationships?  Totally screwed up.  A quote: Bob Richmond of the University of Hawaii (we are in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology), scientific advisor to the Pacific Island states, which like China and most countries are adamantly opposed, analogized that Japan's extensive monitoring plans do not actually mitigate health risks posed by duming the wastewater into the ocean: Its' the same thing as saying, 'I'm going to smoke three packs of cigarettes a day, but I'm not worried because I'm gonna get a chest X-ray every year.  That's my monitoring program.'  One

Lahaina on Maui is now no more.   You can follow the devastation from where you are.  I will provide special details tomorrow.  For now, read my posting of 29April2023 about Lahaina , the one best day of our entire 53-day Seabourn Odyssey cruise.  What we saw are now all gone. I prepared the following yesterday for posting today. Some USA Covid stats? 32% have been infected, and the percentage is probably lower/person because many have caught it twice, and some more. 2% died from Covid. 1% of those who caught Covid died. Should you contract Covid today, there is now a 0.5% chance of dying. In South Korea, those who contract Covid today have only a 0.03% chance of dying. Why this significant difference?  I don't know. The mortality rate of the seasonal flu is between 0.03% and 0.07%, depending on the year. Asymptomatic Covid victims have always been the most dangerous to spread this disease. Three years ago, the CDC thought that 35%  of  Covid cases were asymptomatic.    Tony Fauci