HALLOWEEN 2024

Today is Halloween.  Exactly a year ago, we boarded the Diamond Princess in the Port of Yokohama.  I remember it so well because I had an opportunity to wear my Halloween pants I had recently purchased at Savers for $3.  I was planning to bring it on this cruise to wear tonight.  However, I couldn't find it.

Exactly two years ago, or on 31October2022, my posting was titled HALLOWEEN 2022.  To quote from that article:

As you must know by now, today is Halloween, a tradition supposedly originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain 2000 years or so years ago, when bonfires were lit and people wore costumes.  

• 
  This celebration first came to the U.S.in the 1840's when Irish immigrants escaped their potato famine.  Coincidentally, there is an Irish practice where going door-to-door to collect soul cakes and offerings for dead relatives was traditional.  Failure to supply a treat could result in some practical joke.  Even the Jack-o'-lantern can be linked to Irish folklore. 
• 
  Thus the pumpkin industry in the U.S.  (Well, I researched this statement and found this was not so.  Like trees for Christmas and eggs for Easter, here is why we use pumpkins as the symbol of Halloween.)
• The first official citywide celebration was held in Anoka, Minnesota in 1921.  
• People will this year spend $5 billion just for Halloween costumes.

That posting made me wonder why Donald Trump was not #1.  I think there is a difference between mask and costume.  For downright fright, Trump should rightfully be at the top.  So I checked.  A poll showed that only around 10% of those bothering to go to such lengths are swayed by politics.  This year, Trump leads Harris, 6% to 5%.  Like the race itself, too close to really make a call.  Joe Biden is at 3%, while Tim Walz and J.D. Vance are at 1%.  On the question of which costume would be scarier to encounter, Trump was way ahead at 30%, with Harris only at 22%.  Still a bit disappointing, for most said neither or that they were not sure.

For completeness, I further researched, and found a Reader's Digest article published this month that traced the popular Halloween costumes from 1950.  Popular films of that year were influential.

• 1950  Cowboy, from John Wayne to Gene Autry to Roy Rogers.

• 
  1951  Tarzan....what does this look like?  So I checked.  The result to the right.
• 1953  Mickey Mouse...with other Disney looks also popular.
• 1954  Batman
• 1955  Davy Crockett
• 1960  Hula Girl..something to do with Hawaii becoming the 50th state.
• 1961  Holly Golightly, from Breakfast at Tiffany's.

• 
  1964  The Beatles
• 1966  Barbie
• 1969  Astronaut...Neil Armstrong walk on the Moon
• 1974  Richard Nixon....the year of Watergate

• 
  1976  Star Wars
• 1981  Indiana Jones
• 1987  Alf
• 1988  Beetlejuice....and it's back this year.  Shrunken Head Bob?  He's from the sequel.
• 2002  Spider-Man
• 2005  Darth Vader

One more retrospect, my posting of a decade ago on the Great Pumpkin.

• Some of you must remember Peanuts, the comic strip which ended in 2000 when Charles Schulz passed away, with Linus as a character.  In fact, he was my favorite, with Snoopy #2.
• Linus was thoughtful and respectful, the voice of reason among his peers.
• Sure, he carries a security blanket, and yes, he did believe in the Great Pumpkin....who never showed up for Halloween, to Linus' disappointment.
• But he thinks like me.

One final spooky item.  Every Halloween, Starbucks brings out Pumpkin Spice Latte.  This is their most popular seasonal beverage.  Did you know there is no pumpkin in any form in this drink?

Day 18 saw us depart Cartagena to a wonderful lightning show that went on for an hour.

Then on to dinner in the Manhattan Room for New York Strip Steak and Caesar Salad.  Which I skip showing because I've already done this several times.  We spent three hours in The Cavern Club for karaoke.

Note that phone.  We were getting sent inning by inning results from the World Series.  Dodgers beat Yankees, 7-6 and 4 games to 1, to win the championship.  Youngsters singing.

Then a midnight snack of a Cheeseburger and beef chili, while we watched Hocus Pocus.  Rotten Tomatoes reviewers only gave it a 41% rating.  About right,  The hamburger was great.

Walked 2346 steps.   A full day and only a little more than a mile of movement. Not good,

Lunch on Day 19 showed that today is Halloween.

My usual needle bowl, with salmon and pork, Chardonnay and Heineken.  

Ending with an ice cream cone,

Tomorrow we tour George Town, Cayman Islands.

Typhoon Kong-Rey struck Taiwan as a Category 4, the biggest to make landfall in nearly 30 years.  Lot of wind, rain and lost power, but the damage was minor.  Blame global warming, for Taiwan usually doesn't get any typhoons after September, and in two days it will be November.  Kong-Rey has weakened into the Tropical Storm, and is next headed to Japan,  Will it strengthen?

Kong-Rey had come last year, our Diamond Princess cruise would have been in jeopardy.

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CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA

But first, 5November2024 is less than a week away.  All polls show that Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are nearly tied in the key battleground states.  I ask myself, how can this be happening?

• Early this year, Donald Trump was rated #45, the worst president in the history of the USA, by 154 political scientists. 
•  Joe Biden was ranked #14.
• #1 was Abraham Lincoln, with Franklin D. Roosevelt #2 and George Washington #3.
• Barack Obama came in at #7.

• 
  Donald Trump is a convicted felon, the first American president in history.
• Earlier this year Common Cause said Trump should be disqualified from running again.  They cited ten reasons, and some of them included violation of the 14th Amendment, he is a danger to our Democracy, etc.
• Trump lies more than tells the truth, is a mysogynist, has been disloyal to his wife, only thinks about himself,  has already told us he will become a dictator and this list can go and on for pages and pages.
• 
  Kamala Harris is happily married, truthful and someone you can trust.  She promotes unity, freedom and... well, this list can go on and on,
• Yet, those polls show today that Donald Trump has about a 50-50 chance of repeating as president.  Without any guardrails, this could be the end of Democracy and beginning of a Dictatorship.  The USA could well join Russia, China, North Korea and Iran as the new power axis.  Not only will the USA suffer, but so will the world.
• So how can this be happening?  
• I'll be on the Norwegian Encore somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean when the worst could occur on November 5.  Woe is me.  Woe is the Nation. Woe is Humanity.  How can this be happening???

In this real world today, Day 17 went well.  We successfully transited the Panama Canal and had a fine day. The evening began with an experimental martini at the Observation Deck.  A Bombay Sapphire Gin double, with a shot of Drambuie.  They added too much, so the drink was barely tolerable.

Dinner was in the Manhattan Room.

Soup, salad and steak arrived at the same time.  Here with an Argentinian Malbec,

Ordered an Irish Coffee.

See the phone above?  The ship shows NBA and NFL games, but not the World Series.  So a friend texts us summaries of each inning.  Info begins at dinnertime, keeps coming during the program in the Theater, through dancing/karaoke, and sometimes goes on to our midnight snack.  After dinner, Claire Gobin for the evening show.  She was okay,

Then, the Adda Band in the Atrium.

Dancing in the Social Club.

Karaoke in The Cavern Club.

Day 17, 3863 steps, which is around two miles.

Day 18, and the Norwegian Encore arrived in Cartegena, Colombia.  I continue to be surprised at how developed these cities look.  Don't plan any tour of the city.  While there are places in Colombia that are unsafe, Cartegena is considered mostly okay.  And certainly for cruise tours.  Passengers are warned about pickpockets in crowded areas and tourist hotspots, but that virtually is the case anywhere in the world.  A few photos from our veranda.

 

Pelicans?

Lunch was another bowl of noodle soup, with a gin/tonic and Chardonnay wine.

My dessert today:  potato chips.

The Republic of Colombia:

• Has been home to many indigenous peoples since at least 12,000 BC.
• The Spanish came in 1499, and by the mid-1500s, this area was colonized, with Bogota as capital.
• Independence came in 1819, with what is now Colombia as the New Kingdom of Granada.
• The Republic of Colombia was so named in 1886.

• 
  Named after Christopher Columbus.
• Much armed conflicts in the 1990s.
• Since 2005, stability.
• Recognized for having the best healthcare in Latin America, and #22 in the world.  Ranked #36 in Health Care Index.
• #  1  Taiwan
• #  2  South Korea
• #  3  Japan
• #  4  Netherlands
• #  9  Thailand
• #36  Colombia
• #38  USA
• #56  Russia
• #94  Venezuela
• Population of 50 million is third to Brazil and Mexico in Latin America.
• Bogota 7.4 million.
• 90% Christianity, most Roman Catholic.

When you think of Colombia, cocaine comes to mind.  How did this happen?

• Bolivia and Peru previously grew cocoa leaves, but a fungus wiped out much of Peru's crops,
• In response, Columbia drug cartels purchased land in Colombia, replacing those two countries, becoming the primary producer in the 1990s.  By 2004, Columbia supplied 80 of world cocaine.  Peru recovered by 2012.  Colombia cultivates 200,000 acres of cocoa leaf.
• But there are government data showing cultivation growing from 40,100 in 1990 to 163,300 in 2000, but dropping to 78,000  in 2007 because of government eradication programs.  The United Nations disagrees.  The New York Times supports the UN.
• Much of the info is dated, as for example coca production in 2006 employed 67,000 households.  But that was almost 20 years ago.
• Here is a 2024 article from InSight Crime.
• Coca prices have collapsed in parts of Colombia amid record hectares of cultivation. Could oversupply do what years of eradication have failed to achieve, prompting coca farmers to switch to legal crops?

• A kilogram of cocaine in Colombia sells for $2000, increasing value to $25,000 in the U.S. $35,000 in Europe, $50,000 in Asia and $100,000 in Australia.
• $20 billion worth of cocaine now on the world market.
• How is cocaine used?  Cocaine is a white powder.
• Usually snorted.
• Cooking cocaine with baking soda produces small pieces, called rocks, or crack cocaine.  This is smoked.
• Produces a fast, intense feeling of power and energy.  Effect amplified with use.  But then you need more.
• Very addictive.  Avoid.  One use can hook you.  One use can cause a heart attack, stroke, even death.
• Cocaine can look and feel like powdered sugar, talcum powder, white flower, cornstarch or baby powder.  Is odorless and tasteless.
• 28 million U.S. users.
• Cocaine is a Schedule II drug, which is highly addictive and has a high potential for abuse. The penalty for possessing 500 grams or more of cocaine mixture (or 5 grams or more of cocaine base) is 5 to 40 years in state prison with a fine of up to $5 million for a first offense.

What about Cartagena?  To pronounce, make believe the g is an h.

• The first Spanish colony on the American continent.
• People who visit go to the walled colonial city, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, where there are fancy restaurants, clubs and hotels, and a long strip of towers fronting the beach known as Bocagrande.
• Watch out for vendor scams, including changing money.
• 1000 Peso Colombiano to 23 cents, or 4,381 PC to $1.

We are at sea tomorrow, and will be in George Town, Cayman Islands the next day.

Kong-Rey was a Super Typhoon earlier today, but has settled down to only 140 MPH, and is on track to roll over Taiwan in less than 24 hours.  The eye will then head for Japan.

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