Our boarding of the Regent Seven Seas Voyager was delayed by two days, for the ship had some technical problems, but never really explained.   Barcelona  itself is a fine spot for culture and cuisine, known to be Beautiful, Artistic, Historical, Convenient and Fun.  The Sagrada Familia, the life-work of Antoni Gaudi, in particular, is a sight to remember.  Construction began in 1882, and might well actually be completed a century after his death in 2026.  That this church ever got this far is a miracle in itself, for no religious organization is paying for it, nor any governmental agency.  Ticket sales and private donations have kept it going. We showed up at the ship port site and were shunted off to a remote hotel for two days, which was actually not all that bad, for we were sent to a part of Spain we'll never see again, the lunches were great and the hotel, Eurostars, excellent.  One lunch was beef, and the other was fish. Finally, arrangements were made, we went back to Barc

The U.S. House finally passed the   $95 billion war/humanitarian needs aid bill   for Ukraine, Israel, Indo-Pacific (mainly Taiwan).  The Senate will act on this package Tuesday and President Joe Biden will sign it.  Speaker Mike Johnson (right) is using something novel, bipartisanship,  fiercely condemned by Republican loyalists.  More Republicans opposed the legislation, 112, with 101 in support, plus 210 Democrats.  Who gains?  Defense contractors, those countries and Joe Biden.  Who loses?  Donald Trump.   This budget victory is a sign that the Trump effect is weakening. About Trump and his hush money criminal trial in New York, various  viral trails of interest .  Keep in mind that the media attention is about a sex scandal, but the  real matter has to do with hiding information, keeping an issue hidden from voters ahead of the 2016 presidential election .  This illegal ploy worked, for Trump's narrow victory over Hillary Clinton would probably have been reversed if this bit o