But before going into my topic of the day, I wondered why that huge  (#6 on all-time list ) earthquake did not produce a gigantic tsunami ( from the  Star-Advertiser ): The most recent event had an estimated magnitude of 8.7 or 8.8 on the scale scientists use to measure the strength of earthquakes.     By contrast, catastrophic tsunamis in the past, including a wave that struck Indonesia in 2004 and another that hit Japan in 2011, were generated by a quake of about magnitude 9.   That might sound comparable to Wednesday’s quake, Melgar said, but it is significantly bigger. That’s because the earthquake scale is logarithmic: A magnitude- 9 event possesses about 10 times as much energy as a magnitude-8.7 event, and about three times as much energy as a magnitude-8.8 event.   Also, current models suggest that Wednesday’s earthquake occurred across a stretch of seafloor that was hundreds of miles long. The longer the quake, the more energetic the...

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...