The Ritz-Carlton Luminara was yesterday sailing at sea on our way to the port of Phu My, Vietnam.  Lunch at Haesu Bit.  Sushi Chef Joe. Sashimi and sushi My meal of yellow-fin tuna and hamachi sashimi, ikura-unagi-tobiko sushi, fried truffle rice, miso soup, , green tea, hot sake, cold beer and Nikka Day whisky. End of meal in Haesu Bit. Picked up an ice cream cone. This is my third time in less than a month at-sea between Thailand and Vietnam.  Tomorrow, Ho Chi Minh City,  We were supposed to have stopped at the Thai island of Koh Kood, but the captain decided to skip this because: Koh Kood isn't inherently dangerous but   recent concerns stem from reports of occasional gunfire from the nearby Cambodia border conflict   (late 2025), leading some governments (like the UK's FCDO) to advise against travel, though locals say tourists are unaffected and the border issue is distant, with risks mostly related to natural factors like  mosquitoes  and gen...

The story of the day occurred today in the White House.  First, Donald Trump met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, followed by a second session, with Zelenskyy and six other European leaders. The public portion, with leaders praising Trump, was cordial.  Trump too was generous. Much of what happen will unfold later, for they group went into private session. But it looks like there will be a united front to seek peace with Russia, possibly with a ceasefire, but maybe not, and the European Union and U.S. in a strengthened mode to end the war. Trump had earlier in the day talked to Vladimir Putin, and said there would be a second call after the European meeting. Looks like peace might now be closer than not, and Trump could well win a Nobel Peace Prize if all goes well. So much to world affairs.  I've recent viewed two questions in  Quora .  This morning: Ryan Mack   ·   Follow   Technical Program Manager   at   Uber ATG 10mo What countries will yo...

Going back to the Black Death in the mid 1300s,  humanity has suffered through a bunch of pandemics. What is the  Black Death ? A bubonic plague pandemic from 1346 to 1353 killed as many as 50 million people, perhaps half the population of Europe. Rats to fleas to the bacterium  Yersinia pestis .  Once affected, this bacterium could also be spread through the air. After 7000 years, there is no consensus of the origin. The most likely first source though was probably Central Asia, more specifically, China over 2600 years ago. There is no direct link yet established, but could a bat have infected a flea to initiate this pandemic? The deadliest recent outbreak struck Madagascar in 2017, killing 170. There are some pandemics that are still here.  For example, malaria has been around throughout history, and this malady had killed perhaps 50-60 BILLION people, about half of humans that have ever lived. COVID-19 has so far killed 7 million , or an average of 1.4 millio...