SOUTH PACIFIC, WEST SIDE STORY AND THE ACADEMY AWARDS

Sorry Kenji, this is a super long posting today. It started with a Russian lunch at Firebird with Irvin Barash. They have over 200 vodkas, so I had a blue cheese stuffed in olive martini with a salmon caviar blini and borscht. The welcome was great and food terrific, but service a bit uninspired. We talked about a wide range of matters, and further developed our biomethanol and direct methanol fuel cell strategy.

Irvin then rushed me to Lincoln Center for South Pacific. Just as I sat, the lights went out, music began and show started. The movie with Rossano Brazzi, Mitzi Gaynor and France Nuyen (who looks like Pearl) could well still be my favorite film of all time. The backyard of our Kilauea Sugar Company cottage was where the slippery slide scenes were filmed. The stage show was outstanding.

I then went on to dinner at Ruby Foo's and had half a Peking Duck with beer and sake. This was one of the very best such preparations I've ever had. The place was packed with around 300 diners. The noise level was almost unbearable and place frenetic, just the opposite of Firebird, which had all of a dozen customers, all past retirement age. At Ruby's, the average age must have been in the 30's.

Then off to the Palace to see West Side Story, another show which brings back some fond memories from the 1961 movie. There was something less than spectacular about this staging, but no question that the singing was superior to that of the film, which was also true for South Pacific.

As I'm into entertainment today, let me provide my predictions for the Academy Awards tomorrow:

1. I’ve actually seen seven of the ten best film nominations, the first time in something like 70+ years that there have been so many. Usually, as in the other categories, there are five. A toss-up, but, as much as I wasn’t all that excited about Avatar, directed by James Cameron, I suspect it will be the best picture.

2. However, his former wife, Kathryn Bigelow, should get the best director award for The Hurt Locker, a movie that was the most meaningful for me this year because I saw it as Pearl was in intensive care, and the uncertainty about what was happening to her was such that I would have preferred to be on that bomb defusing squad.

3. Best Actor to Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart, although I loved him in Men Who Stare at Goats, and Best Actress to Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side.

4. The best acting of the past decade was performed by Cristoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds, but he'll only get the Best Supporting Actor award. Best Supporting Actress to Mo'Nique from Precious.

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Two new countries have entered this site. Welcome #141:

HAITI POPULATION: 9,035,536

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Background

The native Taino Amerindians - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by COLUMBUS in 1492 - were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola. In 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint L'OUVERTURE. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first black republic to declare independence in 1804. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history. After an armed rebellion led to the forced resignation and exile of President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE in February 2004, an interim government took office to organize new elections under the auspices of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Continued violence and technical delays prompted repeated postponements, but Haiti finally did inaugurate a democratically elected president and parliament in May of 2006. A massive magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010 with an epicenter about 15 km southwest of the capital, Port-au-Prince. An estimated 2 million people live within the zone of heavy to moderate structural damage. The earthquake is assessed as the worst in this region over the last 200 years.

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Geography

Trust recovery is proceeding. What a tragedy. Any latest info to share?

Country #142 is:

ARUBA POPULATION: 103,065

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Background

Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636. The island's economy has been dominated by three main industries. A 19th century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990.

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Clip from South Pacific, followed by one from West Side Story:

NEW YORK! NEW YORK!

Well, I had one of those...was I just in a movie?...experiences. In fact, I've seen that film. Anyway, Ambassador Shinichi Nishimiya (photo on left), Counsel General of Japan in New York City, an old friend, hosted a dinner at his home for me and a few of my acquaintances. At one point in Hawaii before I initiated this trip, I got his address and his cell phone # and carefully placed them in my iPhone. Understand that all the counsel generals I know live next door to their office. Therefore, for our 7PM dinner tonight, I caught a cab at 6:30 and asked to be taken to 299 Park Avenue, what showed in my phone.

The taxi driver, a Sikh, and very imperious, who was protected in his cocoon, which made it difficult to hear him, asked, north or south. (I later saw the Ambassador's business card, and it does not say N or S., except, it turned out, that is the address of his Consulate.) I didn't know, so we went one way first, and ended up at a bank (which is where I later learned the consulate is located). I couldn't see an obvious entrance, so we went the other way, and he dropped me off, as it had to be here.

It turned out there was a 295 Park Avenue, which was a curious looking and quite run down apartment, but no 299. I thought maybe I wrote the wrong number, so walked into this dump, with a few derelicts hanging around. There was a desk, and I asked a scruffy old guy if a person named Nishimiya lived here, musing that things must be tough for Japan if they housed him here. He asked what apartment? Clearly, this was not going well.

So I dialed his cell number and, oh no, there was an answering system. At this point it was about 7PM and I was in a high state of sheer panic. Press one for this and press two for visas...etc., until call xxxxxxxxxxx only if there is a life or death dire emergency. This was, so I dialed, and the 818 area code was a Los Angeles number. Thankfully, someone did answer, but must have been a guard or something, for he had no idea about anything in New York City. He said go back to the other address and find your way into the bank building, then, on second thought, as the consulate was closed, he said, let me check. At this point, we lost contact, or, maybe he just hung up. Somehow, after three or more frantic calls, I found another individual, who, I think, lived in New York City, and he said he would call me back if my story was true.

Two out of three cars on the road at this time of night are cabs. It was freezing, and I was not prepared to survive that environment. The traffic, furthermore, was not moving too fast, so I hailed for more than 5 minutes before one stopped. This was the standard Hindu from India, and really very helpful and nice. He had no protective plastic and kept asking pretty good questions of where I was going because I had no idea what to do but return to the bank. At this point, my phone rang, and I was, finally, given the Ambassador's home address, which, apparently, was provided in the final e-mail message from his assistant, but, which I stupidly ignored, for all the other guests got there without incident. We changed courses, and by some minor miracle, after shuttling through the greater part of Manhattan during a Friday night gridlock, I actually arrived at the Ambassador's residence, protected by two armed guards, and not all that late. The prospects of getting this far under these circumstances were theoretically nil. But I made it. I started with a kir (chardonnay and creme de cassis).

The dinner was incredible, hosted by Ambassador and Mrs. Nishimiya (above, with Irvin Barash to her left and Grace Onaga way to her right). I must repeat the menu:

Sakizuke: Simmered Duck with Vegetable and Foie Gras

Wanmori: Traditional Clear Soup with Youzu Dumpling

Tsukuri: Tuna, Fluke, Amberjack sashimi

Mushimono: Egg Custard with Shark Fin Sauce

Kuchidori: Yellowtail and Tofu Steak in Scallion Sauce

Syokuji: Rice with Bamboo Shoots, Miso Soup, Pickled Vegetable

Mizukashi: Assorted Seasonal Fruits

This all came with a 1998 Dom Perignon (courtesy Grace Onaga--she's to my right, with Anne Marie Barash across in the photo above), Denemon Niigata Sake and 2007 Stag's Leap Chardonnay. The service was impeccable, and, in fact, as soon as any of your glasses was half full, more liquor was poured. You had to carefully pace yourself.

As great as the above meal was, the discussion was even more stimulating and productive. We rationalized Obama's health plan problem (whatever that means), agreed that the world economy was still in recession, analyzed Japanese-American differences about Okinawa and other related delicate matters, a bit about Prime Minister Hatoyama and the Democratic Party of Japan, and well analyzed global warming, but could not come to a solution for Peak Oil and the resultant doomsday to most probably compromise our lifestyles. Kind of what we do when we gather. Talk, but not really come to an obvious pathway to save Planet Earth and Humanity.

Above, you can't see her face, but that's my cousin, Katie Tanaka Balogh, a medical doctor in the city, to the right of the Ambassador. (Her husband Michael, a psychiatrist, just had a medical procedure and could not join us.) Grace Onaga is the girl from Papaikou, just outside of Hilo [and I shared them my story (from Book 1) of how that whole area could fall into the ocean, causing a mega-tsunami heading for Seattle], went to Georgetown Law School and has now been a high-powered lawyer in New York City for three decades. Irvin Barash is a venture capitalist from Manhattan, specializing in sustainable resources, while the last time I talked to Anne Marie, she was an educational administrator.

I should mention that the Nishimiyas live in a museum, and you can't see it above, but there is a huge chandelier above the dining room table, which made me slightly uncomfortable, for if it fell...well, but also, what a task to clean all that glass. The artworks and ambience no doubt inspired our discussion.

By 10:30, it was time to go, so we left with huge thanks and high respect for the Ambassador's life and role. He regularly hosts U.S. Senators, CEO's and mostly only important people around this table, so we felt very privileged. What a night!!!

Earlier in the day I caught the Acela to New York City from DC to get to that above dinner. There is a waiting lounge, and breakfast with Bloody Mary and Screwdriver are served on the three hour ride.

From the Westin at Times Square I can see the Empire State Building and there must be at least two dozen adjacent buildings higher than my 38 floor room. There are two clocks right in front and just higher than me on a building that looks like it has a disco ball on top.

New York is truly a cosmopolitan city. The diversity, culture (different from that of Europe) and vitality exude. The weather is also wonderful (meaning the sun is out), but cold. At 8 million people, this is the largest city in the USA, but #13 in the world (Shanghai and Mumbai both are close to 14 million). The great metropolitan area of New York City is around 25 million, or 20 million, depending on what you count. Tokyo has a metropolitan population of more than 32 million, the largest. NYC has one-fourth the people density of Tokyo.

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The Dow Jones Industrials shot up 122 to 10,566, with world markets also all up. Gold increased a buck to $1133/toz and crude oil is just under $82/barrel.

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WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE HEALTH PLAN

In case you were wondering, the health plan will get through Congress, and before the Easter recess. Here's what will happen:

1. As you know, both houses have already passed the bill.

2. A compromise version (mostly what the Senate produced) will be good enough to avoid the Senate cloture process.

3. Something called "reconciliation" will be utilized so that an up or down vote will occur. That is, a filibuster is prohibited because of established time restrictions, which were enacted in 1974. In the House, a bunch of Democrats will vote no, possibly because the final version will include abortion funding. In the Senate, a few Democrats will be allowed to vote no to preserve their re-election potential in the Fall. VP Biden will cast the vote to break the 50-50 tie, if it has to come to that.

4. President Obama will then sign the watered down bill around Easter.

5. Over the next six years, the plan will be strengthened.

Oh, what a gorgeous day in DC. The sun is out and the temperature went up to 48 F. I got a senior's card for the Metro, and the savings are substantial.

I had lunch today at PF Chang's China Bistro in Ballston with Phyliss Minn, formerly from Senator Inouye's office, and now with the National Science Foundation. I repeat myself, but she was probably the most important person responsible for much of the early funding for hydrogen, biofuels, ocean resources and wide range of other sustainable resource areas that came to Hawaii. She's contemplating, perhaps, again becoming a factor in these fields.

I then took the Metro to the Capitol, but instead of walking through the hallways of Congress as I once did, trekked to the Washington Monument, stopping first at the Natural History Museum (mostly to use their restroom), but touring their oceans exhibit and visiting the Hope Diamond (below, valued at around $300,000). Then a glance at the Jefferson Memorial and on to the Lincoln Memorial. A right turn to Foggy Bottom, ending at the Fairfax near Dupont Circle. I never before thought that this would be walkable. But when you carry a golf bag for 18 holes, this was a snap. It was cold and windy, but nothing compared to the minus 25 C wind chill of Helsinki.

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The Dow Jones Industrials went up 47 to 10,444, with world markets mixed. Gold dropped $5/toz to $1132 and crude oil remains around $80/barrel.

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Welcome country #140 to my site:

ZIMBABWE POPULATION: 11,392,629

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Background

The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the [British] South Africa Company in 1923. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favored whites in power. In 1965 the government unilaterally declared its independence, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded more complete voting rights for the black African majority in the country (then called Rhodesia). UN sanctions and a guerrilla uprising finally led to free elections in 1979 and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert MUGABE, the nation's first prime minister, has been the country's only ruler (as president since 1987) and has dominated the country's political system since independence. His chaotic land redistribution campaign, which began in 2000, caused an exodus of white farmers, crippled the economy, and ushered in widespread shortages of basic commodities. Ignoring international condemnation, MUGABE rigged the 2002 presidential election to ensure his reelection. The ruling ZANU-PF party used fraud and intimidation to win a two-thirds majority in the March 2005 parliamentary election, allowing it to amend the constitution at will and recreate the Senate, which had been abolished in the late 1980s. In April 2005, Harare embarked on Operation Restore Order, ostensibly an urban rationalization program, which resulted in the destruction of the homes or businesses of 700,000 mostly poor supporters of the opposition. President MUGABE in June 2007 instituted price controls on all basic commodities causing panic buying and leaving store shelves empty for months. General elections held in March 2008 contained irregularities but still amounted to a censure of the ZANU-PF-led government with the opposition winning a majority of seats in parliament. MDC opposition leader Morgan TSVANGIRAI won the most votes in the presidential polls, but not enough to win outright. In the lead up to a run-off election in late June 2008, considerable violence enacted against opposition party members led to the withdrawal of TSVANGIRAI from the ballot. Extensive evidence of vote tampering and ballot-box stuffing resulted in international condemnation of the process. Difficult negotiations over a power-sharing government, in which MUGABE remained president and TSVANGIRAI became prime minister, were finally settled in February 2009, although the leaders have yet failed to agree upon many key outstanding governmental issues.

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SIX WEEKS INTO THE ODYSSEY

Well, I have to eat, and today for lunch I dined with one of the most effective bureaucrats (I need to protect this individual from the fact that he talked to me) in the history of the Department of Energy. Anyone of substance who has interacted with this organization can only have been frustrated. We talked about....oh, oh, I guess I can't say what. There is something basically non-functional about this department, but enough said.

However, I can say that Mr. X shared with me the current respect the top leadership has from the permanent staff who are responsible for making it all work. As terrible as the Bush USDOE might have been, the current Obama USDOE might be worse because so much was expected, and so little is being visionized and accomplished. I can detail the disappointments, but let me stop here, for I have already ticked off too many friends

I can say that at mid-meal, Phyliss Min saw me and we greeted each other for the first time in decades. She was the key Senator Inouye staffer who initiated all those Blue Revolution, hydrogen and other renewable energy projects for Hawaii. She now works for the National Science Foundation.

My dinner tonight was with Tommy and Michael Champ (above). We dined at Proof, ideally located across the Gallery Place-Chinatown exit of the Red and Yellow lines and next to where the Washington Wizards play. Proof, to quote them, is a wine-centric gem featuring Modern American cuisine. It has been awarded 3 stars by the Washington Post. The Champs are regulars here. We basically shared fusion dishes featuring sweetbreads, wagyu beef, artichoke salad, pork, duck, sorbet, sticky pudding cake, and, in my case, complemented with a Tanquery 10 martini, absolutely great Black Ankle Bordeaux blend from Fredrick County, Maryland, a meritage of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Fanc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Syrah, resulting in a 14.9% ethanol masterpiece. Can you imagine? A really terrific Maryland wine? All this was topped off with a French Sauternes. Best meal I've had yet in American since I started my trip.

Six weeks into this adventure, here are the highlights, chronologically:

1. South Korea:

Universal Studios will build a $2.7 billion theme park in Gyeonggi Province (37 miles southwest of Seoul). Paramount Pictures and MGM will also construct resort parks in Incheon. Eight such Seoul developments are expected to be in operation by 2012, and fourteen when you count the rest of the country. They hope to attract lots of visitors from China and Japan. HAWAII, WHAT ARE WE DOING?

2. Viet Nam

The trend is promising. China Beach (picture 100 yards of beach extending for 19 miles, a distance from Waikiki to Pearl Harbor and back to Waikiki) alone has a five-star mega resort, with five more being built, including a J.W. Marriott and a Hyatt, plus a casino and two golf courses.

Another way to look at the length of China Beach is a 100 yard wide beach from Waikiki to Wahiawa. This is the type of attraction Hawaii will need to compete against into the future.

3. Cambodia

I always wondered why any regime would want to decimate their population, as in the Killing Fields. Well, this is a quote from the same link as #2 above.

The joker in this deck is China. Remember Pol Pot and the Killing Fields? You ask why did this happen? The people of Cambodia say that this was an attempt to exterminate them to be replaced with Chinese Han, something some say still might be occurring in Western China, and, perhaps, too, Tibet.

4. Amazing Thailand: those temples are extraordinary.

5. India is an experience. Until you've been in a vehicle on the road from Delhi to Agra and back, you haven't really experienced life. Of course, my tossing of Pearl's ashes at the Taj Mahal was the primary reason why I even made this trip. But just surviving this ordeal today was remarkable.

6. Barcelona is fascinating. The three best five restaurants in the world are now in this region. Tragically, the day after I left the city, Mugaritz, the #4 restaurant, experienced a serious kitchen fire.

7. I had the best lunch of my life at the Hotel Konigshof in Munich. I arrived at the restaurant having walked through Fasching, that mind-blowing daytime celebration combining Carneval, Mardi Gras and Halloween held in the city. This is Fat Tuesday, with Brazil and New Orleans spreading the event out for weeks. In Munich, this lasted all of a few hours around noon.

8. In Helsinki I had one of my greatest dinners at Chez Dominique, the #21 best restaurant in the world. More importantly, that day I met with a representative of the Finnish Board of Education and gained a better appreciation of why their educational system works so well.

9. I had two excellent meals in Copenhagen. First, dinner at Umami, of French-Japanese fusion. You wonder why there is not a Finnish meal, or, to come, Danish or Dutch high cuisine, and the answer I got was that people from these countries stay home to eat their food and go out to try the food of the world. As you think about it, when you celebrate an occasion, save for maybe steak, you don't pick a restaurant featuring the food of your home town. Anyway, the second, was lunch at #3 rated Nomo for lunch with Chef Rene, the "best" chef in the world.

10. Amsterdam was extraordinary, probably representing the city of 2100.

11. London Eye

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The Dow Jones Industrials dropped 9 to 10397. Except for Hong Kong major markets were all up. The price of oil is now almost up to $81/barrel and gold increased $3 to $1139/toz.

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I'M BACK IN THE USA

International first class is far superior to domestic first class. However, there are differences. You can read about my Lufthansa flight from Delhi to Munich. Today, another 8 hour first class flight, United Airlines from London to Dulles Airport (DC). Here is my comparison:

..................................Lufthansa ...United

First class lounge....................A .........C

First class section on plane ...A .........D*

Food ...............................A .........C

Alcohol quality ..................A .........C

Service ..........................A .........B

*The United 777 was an old plane. The personal movie system used cassettes, and the player volume was too low, with the audio mode volume only at max, thus, unusable. And this is in first class. The seat only reclined halfway back, not fully flat. The wallpaper in the restroom was the same as the original 747. A related article appeared in USA Today by Dan Reed entitled, "More fliers loyal to alliance, not airline." This is a good

reason why.

I'm in the Fairfax at Embassy Row, which was once a Ritz Carleton, then a Westin. It's old but okay. Above, my room view of the India Embassy with a statue of Mahatma Gandhi. I walked around the neighborhood and brought back to my room a Budweiser beer and Johnny Rockets hamburger to celebrate being back in the U.S. My first hamburger after six weeks. Two more weeks left.

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The Dow Jones Industrials rose 2 to 10,406, with European markets all up and those of the Orient mostly down. Ford sales topped GM and Toyota last month, but the stock value dropped a bit. However, in the USATODAY.com portofolio, the two best performers for the year are Ford at +22% and Sirius +49%. Gold jumped $17/toz to $1135, while crude oil is just below $80/barrel.

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THE LONDON EYE

The sun is shining in London. First time I've seen so much in two weeks. Now I know why people in Hawaii are happier. Something about the sun lifts your spirits. I caught the Picadilly Line of the Underground (also called Tube) to Leicester Square. About $11 for an all-day pass. This line, incidentally, is mostly above ground into the city.

I was planning to have a meal at Hakkason, the #36 restaurant in the top 50, and, of all the things, a Chinese restaurant. So I looked around if there was a theater nearby, and the Dominion was half a block away. Playing there was "We Will Rock You," so I bought a half-price ticket for about $40. I had missed breakfast just so I could feast today.

I then found my way to the London Eye. It was now 10:30AM. The cost was almost about $25 for what they call a flight. Built for the new millennium, in 1999 it was the largest ferris wheel in the world, at 443 feet high. China and Singapore (Flyer is 541 feet high) now have larger ones. This is the Eiffel Tower equivalent for the city, and originally planned to be operated only for 5 years, it is now a permanent tourist attraction.

The experience begins with an Imax type 3D film about London. The Wheel can hold 25 people each in 32 cabins, or 800, but this is not a busy period, so only about a dozen were placed in my bubble. The wheel does not stop. You need to walk on and off while it is moving. The trip lasted a bit more than half an hour and was spectacular, especially on this sparkling day.

For lunch, I was advised to go to Seashell of Lisson Grove. I got there at 1PM, still not having eaten anything...and it was closed. Boarded up. Now what? So I found my way to Hakkason, which I read also serves lunch from Monday to Friday, and might thus be easier to get a table. It was closed for the day. It was now 1:45, so I stopped at Itsu, self-serve sushi and oriental soup "healthy" restaurant. It is a chain, and a good concept.

Only 879 days to the London Summer Olympics, and of all the things, sustainability is the theme. The next Winter Olympics, in 2014, will be held in Sochi, Russia. Of course, President Medvedev will no doubt fire or seek the resignation of the current officials, so you can bet Russia will do well in 2014. Regarding Vancouver, the U.S. received the most medals awarded ever, and won for the first time since 1932, when we hosted the Lake Placid Olympics. Canada not only gained its first gold medal as a host, but the most ever, at 12.

We Will Rock You was a stage show that has been around for nearly eight years now, and has a weak futuristic plot around the music of Queen. Something closer to the life of Freddy Mercury would have been more appropriate.

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The Dow Jones Industrials looks up so far.

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