My intention today was to provide the great Russia story.  However, Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky have already accomplished this feat, so was inspired at lunch to instead introduce you to the Aleutian Islands.  How was I so influenced?  Let me start by going back to yesterday when Adam Tanner lectured on Russia. Nice talk, but nothing new.  So I thought anything I could add about this country would be prosaic.  Anyway, dinner was at the Polo Grill, a steakhouse. Started with a Caesar Salad, and then into a ribeye steak with baked potato, cream of spinach, etc. I'll skip the steak photo and go into the petit fours.  Saw the dessert menu.  But passed.  Some enticing delectables, but I'm eating too much. Went on the the Riviera Lounge for a Broadway Show spectacle. Then went dancing in Horizons and closed the place down. Which leads to today, lunch and why my topic of the day will focus on the Aleutian Islands. Started with soup and salad, but th...

Read the local  Star-Advertiser  for the Maui Apocalypse details. Deaths up to 80 and are expected to yet increase. How you can assist.   The safest would be: The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency: Donations and volunteer support information at ready.hawaii.gov or 808-733-4300. or Maui County:   Donate or volunteer by calling 808-270-7285 or The Maui Strong Fund  at 808 566-5560 . Jeff Bezos and fiancee Lauren Sanchez donated $100 million.  Of course, he is worth $163 billion.  Thus, looking at this on a percentage of richness basis, a millionaire should give around $600, and, if you are worth $100,000, then your share should be $60.  Let's see now, Hawaii-born Steve Case said he would contribute $1 million.  That's about right, for he is worth $1.5 billion.  Jeff and Lauren own a  $78 million home  at La Perouse Bay on Maui. Lahaina will return.  There will be a significant boost to the island economy over the next decad...

The Monday Turkey earthquake killing at least 7900 had a  magnitude of 7.8 .  Of course, no tsunami and no nuclear disaster.  The  largest earthquakes  ever: 1. Valdivia, Chile 22 May 1960 (magnitude 9.5) This earthquake killed 1655 people, injured 3000 and displaced two million. It caused US$550 million damage in Chile, while the   tsunami   that it spawned caused deaths and damage as far away as Hawaii, Japan and the Philippines. The 'rupture zone' of the quake was more than 1000 km long. Two days after the initial quake, the nearby volcano Puyehue erupted, sending ash and steam up to 6 km into the atmosphere over a period of several weeks.   2. Prince William Sound, Alaska 28 March 1964 (magnitude 9.2) Compared to the Chilean earthquake, this earthquake was less damaging: the resulting tsunami took 128 lives and caused overall US$311 million in damage. The earthquake was felt mainly over Alaska, as well as some places in Canada, while the tsuna...