SOME HISTORY OF CURRENT WORLD AND NATIONAL CRISES

The Russo-Ukrainian War is now in a stalemate:

• Started in February of 2014.
• Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014.
• In February of 2022, Russian launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
• Some history.
• Crimea was part of the Crimean Khanate from 1441 until it was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1783.

• 
  In the Russian Revolution of 1917, Ukraine was absorbed by the Russian Empire  as a constituent republic
• Ukraine is the second-largest (1.7 times bigger than Germany) European country after Russia.
• In 1922 the Soviet Union was formed with various union republics, and until its dissolution in 1991, varied from 4 to 16 countries, always including Ukraine.

Map of the Union Republics from 1956 to 1991, as numbered by the Soviet Constitution: 1. Russia, 2. Ukraine, 3. Belarus, 4. Uzbekistan, 5. Kazakhstan, 6. Georgia, 7. Azerbaijan, 8. Lithuania, 9. Moldavia, 10. Latvia, 11. Kyrgyzstan, 12. Tajikistan, 13. Armenia, 14. Turkmenistan, 15. Estonia

• 

  In 1945 Ukraine Soviet Socialist Republic was one of the founding members of the United Nations.
• After the death of Stalin in 1953, Crimea was transferred from the Russia to Ukraine.
• In subsequent years Ukrainians held many top positions in the Soviet Union, notably, Leonid Brezhnev became General Secretary from 1964 to 1982.
• The Chernobyl Nuclear disaster occurred in 1986.
• At the end of the Cold war Ukraine gained independence at the end of 1991.
• 
  Then the Russo-Ukraine war began in February of 2014 and Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
• Ukraine gained candidate status to the European Union on 23 June 2022.

• 
  What has happened and what about the future?
• The expected overwhelming defeat of Ukraine did not occur.
• NATO has been strengthened, with Scandinavian countries joining or in the process of securing membership.
• Poland has emerged as a major European player.
• Hungary has linked closer to Russia.
• Romania is cautious.
• Bulgaria is politically divided.
• 
  There remains the aura of Russia going nuclear.  
• This the greatest danger to humanity today, certainly more so than global warming, if escalation leads to the dreaded nuclear winter.
• There are around 15,000 nuclear weapons on Planet Earth with the energy equivalent of 15 times the Krakatoa volcanic eruption, the most powerful ever.
• Watch this video.

On a less monumental level, the USA is in the process of changing the name of nine military bases named after Confederate generals.  This will all occur by next year

• The Department of Defense will spend $62.5 million to change street names...etc.
• Fort Benning, Georgia, is now Fort Moore, after Lt. Gen. Hal and Julia Moore, the first carrying the name of a couple.  Hal served in Vietnam and Julia successfully lobbied Congress to have military families notified of casualties in person of by telegram.
• Fort Hood, Texas, is now Fort Cavazos, honoring Richard Cavazos, the first Hispanic American to became a four-star General.
• 
  To come:
• Fort Gordon to Eisenhower.
• Fort Bragg to Liberty (not a person).
• Fort Hill to Dr. Mary Walker.

• 
  Fort Lee to Gregg-Adams.
• Fort Picket to Barfoot (after Technical Sergeant Van Barfoot).
• Fort Polk  to Johnson (after Sgt. William Henry Johnson).
• Fort Rucker to Novosel (after Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael Novosel).
• I guess only Army bases are being renamed.  There must be no Confederate-named navy bases, and certainly there were no airplanes around the time of the Civil War. 

There were two major international presidential elections this weekend.

• Current Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu are heading for a runoff on May 28.  Turnout was 89%.  Needed more than half the votes to win, and Erdogan got 49.5 votes.  This means he almost surely will continue as president.  He has been in control for two decades.

• 
  Thailand's reformist opposition, the Move Forward Party, led by Pita Limjaroenrat (right), won the most seats in the general elections, rejecting the military-backed parties that have ruled the country for nearly ten years.
• Add the populist Pheu Thai Party, and the two were projected to win about 286 seats of their 500-member House of Representatives.  This was a kind of upset, because the PTP, linked to the billionaire Shinawatra family, was expected to prevail.
• 
  The MFP is youthful and also called for curbs on the powers of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, a not particularly respected king, by Thai standards.
• The United Thai Nation Party of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who seized power as army chief in the 2014 coup, was in fifth place.
• There seems to be a sense that the MFP and PTP will work together.
• But the Thai political system of leadership also includes the input of the Senate, which is controlled by the military and king.
• Any coalition will need to get 376 total votes of the combined House and Senate to name the prime minister.
• In 2019, Prayuth of the UTNP, got all the Senate votes, and cobbled together a coalition of 19 different parties to keep him in office.
• At this point, it will take weeks to work out the kinks.
• Then the military could just stage another coup, supported by the king.
• Thai politics have been like this for a very long time.
• 
  I've been caught in the country during a variety of coups and protests, and was involved once by serving as a conduit to get information to the U.S. government.  Read my posting of 2014 on this subject.

Heading this all is General Prayuth Chan-ocha.  He kind of looks like FM el-Sissi and appears to have the same hat.  I was in Bangkok around a quarter century ago when there was another military coup, and, as the Thai and American governments could not officially communicate, I helped serve as a courier of information between the U.S. Embassy and the Thai equivalent of the Department of Energy.  Made a lot of good friends and we later worked out a research and education exchange program.

• 
  Also in that article was reference to then Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra (right), and a protest that resulted in 30 deaths and my early departure from Bangkok.  Here is how tourism was being affected by curfews and such.

I'll close with that current political crisis, the national debt.  Supposedly, the U.S. goes into default by the end of this month unless President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy agree on something.  They meet tomorrow.

• The Republican position is that the U.S. debt is appalling, and we need to cut the budget by reducing spending.  Most Americans agree.  This is why McCarthy is making such a big fuss of this crisis.  Politics and looking good going into the next election next year.
• 
  Except for 1835-1836, the U.S. has continuously had a fluctuating public debt since the Constitution went into effect in 1789.
• There was no debt ceiling in force in all of our history until 1917 when a limit was placed.
• More recently, the national debt has increased under every president since Herbert Hoover.
• In 1979 when I worked for the U.S. Senate, the Gephardt Rule automatically raised the debt when a budget was passed.
• 
  However, this was repealed in 1995.
• Since 2000 the debt ceiling has been raised 90 times.
• In 2011, Republicans used the debt ceiling as leverage for deficit reduction, resulting in the Dow Jones falling 2000 points in July and August.
• 2013 led to another crisis, when Republicans refused to raise the debt ceiling unless President Obama defunded Obamacare.  Republican ratings declined.  The debt ceiling was increased.

• 
  2021 had another crisis triggered by Republicans, resulting in a ceiling of $31.4 trillion.
• 2023, they're at it again.  This Republican debt-ceiling madness occurs whenever there is a Democrat as president.
• The U.S. actually reached this $31.4 trillion point in January, but took extraordinary fiscal measures to avoid defaulting on obligations.  
• However, this can go on only until the end of May...said Treasury Secretary Yellen...but actually, we should be good until some time this summer.
• At that point, there will be market dislocations (stock market crash, for example) and the spurring of another recession.
• 
  Republicans almost welcome these prospects to improve their position on 5 November 2024 for the general election.  Plus, their Freedom Caucus has a lot of influence over who will continue to be Speaker of the House.

• 
  Republicans will hold fast, probably forcing Biden to just raise the ceiling by invoking the 14th Amendment or pushing for a discharge petition to actually vote on this matter in the House.
• Brinksmanship will be the commanding policy, on both sides.
• Read this article for possible outcomes, but the bottom line is that a compromise will be reached.  This is as predictable as the sun will rise tomorrow.  
• 
  Ironically, in recent administrations, Republican presidents have been the cause of our national debt.

• 
  Oh well, there remains the matter of owing so much money and how much our taxes increase because of this.  However, keep in mind that taking care of  your personal finances should not be equated to the running of a government.  Read my Huffington Post essay on this subject.
• There is, though, this U.S. Debt Clock, which equates this debt to you, personally.  Every taxpayer owes $247,767, which is kind of scary, until you read my HuffPo.

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WHO IS RUNNING THE COUNTRY, ANYWAY?

Well, in the USA, Barack Obama is still president, although Gallup has his job approval at 43% and Rasmussen says 49% of U.S. voters approve of his job performance.  On the other hand, Australians last year ranked Obama as the most admired world figure.  However, #2 was Julia Gilliard, who no longer is prime minister.  Amazingly enough, last year, compared to Russia, China, the European Union and Germany, Obama was #1 among these other world leaders in approval:

I didn't realize Vladimir Putin was that unpopular in his country.  However, you got to wonder who Gallup polled, for:

The results of the poll, conducted by the All-Russian Centre for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM) earlier this month, showed that Mr Putin’s approval rating had increased from 82 per cent to 85 per cent since April, and by more than a third since the beginning of the year.

By the way, candy tycoon Petro O. Poroshenko will become the next president of Ukraine.  He is a pro-European billionaire, and bested former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.  Poroshenko's victory speech had at  his side, leader of the street protests, former world heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko.

Presidential politics, Egyptian style, is efficient.  Field Marshal Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi removed elected President Mohammed Morsi in a "popular revolution," not, according to el-Sissi, a military coup.  Today is the second day of presidential voting, which the Muslim Brotherhood is boycotting, and it will not be a surprise if he wins, in fact, it will be a shock if he loses.  However, maybe military rule is best today for the country.

The king of coups, however, is Thailand.  Since 1912, there have been 30 attempts.  Since  1932 there have been twelve successful coups.  The latest is not a military coup, according to the Thai Army.  Mind you, soldiers now carry roses, but it was, for martial law was declared last week.

Heading this all is General Prayuth Chan-ocha.  He kind of looks like FM el-Sissi and appears to have the same hat.  I was in Bangkok around a quarter century ago when there was another military coup, and, as the Thai and American governments could not officially communicate, I helped serve as a courier of information between the U.S. Embassy and the Thai equivalent of the Department of Energy.  Made a lot of good friends and we later worked out a research and education exchange program.

The latest effort to depose Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra (left) resulted in 30 killed, 700 injured and my early departure from Bangkok last month.  Yingluck's brother Thaksin also experienced an Army takeover in 2006, after which he went into exile.  It's as simple as this, their beloved 86 year old King Bhumibol Adulyadej (who is Rama IX and has ruled for 68 years--Yul Brynner's King was Mongkut, Rama IV), the Thai Army and the "ruling class (oligarchs)" are comfortable with each other.  Thaksin's rule was supported by the poorer and downtrodden throughout the country.  The traditional order has now been restored.

How are the tourists doing?  Visitors are down, and the curfew from 10PM to 5AM is generally being followed, but click on this article for the exceptions...and there are many.  The military won't allow anyone to close the international airport, so feel free to go.

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A NEW TIGER IS ON THE PROWL

 Jeff Koterba had the perfect cartoon today:

Hawaii, of course, has had the ideal hand sign for ages:

Thus, if I walk around without a mask at a shopping mall, when someone gives me a stink eye, I flash this shaka sign indicating I've taken my vaccine shot and am safe.

The CDC did it again.  Last week they announced everyone associated with future cruises should get vaccinated as soon as they can.  Today, they now say, however, this is not a requirement.  They got pressured from the Florida cruise industry to back off...and they did.  Incredible.  At least the Trump CDC was consistent and only lied.

From the New York Times this morning;

• Online disinformation is sowing vaccine distrust among evangelicals. Nearly half of white evangelical adults in the U.S. say they will not be vaccinated.

• The Republican governors of Florida and Mississippi voiced opposition to “vaccine passports,” credentials that would show a person’s vaccination status.

• 
  “Godzilla vs. Kong” earned about $48.5 million in the U.S. last week, the strongest box-office performance of the pandemic by far and a sign that Americans are eager to return to movie theaters.  Rotten Tomatoes reviewers gave a 76 score, but audiences loved it with a 93.

• Myanmar’s security forces have killed hundreds of civilians since a February military coup. At least 40 were children.
• Stanford claimed the N.C.A.A. women’s basketball championship with a win over Arizona, 54-53. It’s the team’s first title since 1992.

Stanford's coach is Tara VanDerveer:

• She is 67 and has been their coach since 1986.
• She was doing well at Ohio State when she was asked to take over a poor Stanford team.
• Her friends told her don't, for Stanford was too brainy to be good in sports.
• Her dad told her don't, for you'll soon be unemployed and come home to live with us.
• Her first two-years were mediocre.
• But she made the NCAA tournament in 1988, and has gotten an invitation every year since then, winning the national championship in 1990 and 1992...and 2021.
• While there was a championship drought, by 2019 they did reach the final four 12 times under her.
• Last year she surpassed the record held by Pat Summitt of Tennessee for the most number of coaching wins.
• 
  Save for the year she coached the U.S. team in 1996 which went on to win the Summer Olympics gold in Atlanta, she has now been at Stanford for 35 years.
• Eleven of her players went on to coach college teams.
• VanDerveer's assistant at Stanford, Amy Tucker (right), is her life partner.

There is, of course, another Stanford guy, the old Tiger, born Eldrick Tont Woods in 1975 of a Black American Army officer and part Thai, Dutch and Chinese mother.  They met when he was stationed in Thailand.  Earl was previously married with three children, one being Cheyenne Woods who is also a professional golfer.  Tiger is today apparently recovering well from his auto accident.  

In his prime, he averaged around 300 yards on his drives.  Notice that the PGA tour leader never reached 325 yards.

The new Tiger also has roots in Thailand.  This weekend at the ANA Inspiration tournament, which she won as a rookie, her average drive was 326 yards.  The tigress is Patty Tavatanakit who is only 5'5" tall.  Tiger is 6'1".  She led this women's major continuously from Day One.  As this photo shows, she played for UCLA.

From the LPGA:

When LPGA Tour rookie Patty Tavatanakit first set foot on American soil, she was a wide-eyed 10-year-old, two years into a game she took up because Tiger Woods played in her homeland of Thailand. Tavatanakit, whose parents had her in dance and drama but not sports, showed no interest in golf prior to seeing Woods. It was January 2008. She had turned eight the previous October. “I saw Tiger on television, and how he played, how he carried himself, everything he did and I said, ‘Dad, I want to be like that,’” Patty said. “It changed my perspective. It really changed my life.”   

Patty has a long ways to go, for Tiger has had 82 PGA wins, including five in the Masters Tournament, which begins on Thursday.  And to be officially accurate, the longest driver on the LPGA is Anne van Dam at 283 yards, with Patty only #9 at 268.  But if "something amazing happened," and she now actually drives the ball more than 300 yards, she could well dominate into the future.  There are four more women's majors and I would be surprised if she does not win at least one more this year.

Tonight at 9:20 PM EDT:  Gonzaga and Baylor on CBS:

Few more from my desktop:

It  takes medical science to let you know that a pint (16 ounces---a can is typically 11 or 12 ounces) of beer a day, should improve your health:

• Contains more protein and B vitamins, phosphorous, folate, silicon and prebiotics than wine, with at least equal antioxidant quality.
• Lowers risk of diabetes.

• 
  Makes your heart healthier.  You are 42% less likely to die of heart disease, which is the overwhelmingly dominant killer, almost double the rate of cancer.
• Build stronger bones.
• Boosts brain power.
• Cleans your teeth.
• Reduces inflammation.
• Increases your longevity.

“Getting old,” actress Bette Davis once remarked, “isn’t for sissies.” Physical disabilities, waning energy levels, mental fog… It’s not a pretty picture.  If you look closely, that is a Jim Beam commercial.  And she's smoking.

The Dow Jones Industrials reached another all-time high, now at 33,527.

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HOW TO BEST GO AROUND THE WORLD

I promise to minimize, if not completely avoid again mentioning this week, that Trump hush money trial.  But just to finally summarize as to where this spectacle stands today:

• Robert Costello, the only meaningful defense witness, bombed.  He became an embarrassment.

• 
  All in all, the prosecution now seems to have an upper hand.
• The trial is recessed until a week from now, May 28, when both sides will make closing arguments.
• Mind you, I've never served on a jury or been in a trial.  Plus I never watched Perry Mason, and certainly not Judge Judy.  I also did not see 12 Angry Men, a 1957 film starring Henry Fonda about a murder trial.  Got 100/97 ratings from Rotten Tomatoes.  I checked, and it is on Amazon Prime.
• However, I've kept close tabs on the doings, and here is my best guess:
• Acquittal  1%
• Hung jury  30%
• Guilty of misdemeanors  40%
• Guilty of felonies  29%
• So what?
• If acquitted, Trump could well become your next president.
• If hung jury, depends on the vote.  
• If only 1 or 2 holding out for guilty, this will make Trump look bad, and there will be a  retrial.
• If the majority vote against guilty, this might be the end of this trial process.
• If guilty, Trump will appeal, and this process will take into next year.
• If guilty of only misdemeanors, Trump might well not lose much, even though he becomes a convicted candidate.
• If guilty of felonies, Trump will lose to Biden.
• There remains the Supreme Court and their decision or non decision on the immunity of Trump.  My guess is that sometime next month they will declare Trump is not immune, but ask Congress to look closely at this issue.
• Then, the Jack Smith January 6, 2011 attempted coup trial can proceed.  Possible for this happening before October.
• The Georgia election interference trial appears to be now delayed by Trumps MAGA supporters.
• If the Supreme Court does not announced anything until much later, there will be no coup trial in DC, and Trump will significantly benefit.
• If the Supreme Court rules that Trump is immune, this would not affect any hush money trial penalty, but that would help him on November 5.
• So who will win on November 5?  Who knows for sure today, for there still are third party interferences, what Nikki Haley and Liz Cheney do, and more.

Today is nostalgic Tuesday, so back to travel and to provide some hints on how to go about planning for a global trip.  I've been on more than a dozen around the world trips.  I'm still learning what to do and not.

• For example, best to choose the cruise hotel if that opportunity is provided.  Costs more, but:
• Sometimes they pick you up at the airport.
• They always pick you up at their hotel to take you to the ship, and sometimes drop you off from the ship to the airport or another hotel.
• This is important because the exact cruise departure terminal is occasionally a variable, but you then don't need to worry about that.
• 
  Should you use those airline partnership plans, such as the Star Alliance Round the World package?
• All my previous global journeys used Star Alliance.
• This latest one did not, and making adjustments to the flight schedule was very difficult.
• Star Alliance allows me to make changes in dates and times of departure.  Part of this flexibility is that I am a 2 million mile traveler with them.
• Not being on Star Alliance costs you a lot of money for adjustments to the itinerary.
• However, the total around the world cost was about the same for business class.
• Advantage of going independent was some different kind of flexibility.  For example we found that Emirates First Class was really terrific, with unlimited caviar and two showers on the plane.  
• We thus payed $3200 from Bangkok to Munich, where we got two legs with all that luxury.  
• Turned out, back to back, it was too much for a person to endure.
• A direct flight from Bangkok to Munich on Thai Air has no stops, and costs only $1400 in business class, but you need to fly overnight.
• No reason for us to go to Munich, so a Bangkok to Frankfurt Thai Air flight in business class costs $1381, leaving at 12:40PM and arriving at 7PM.  In the future, this would be a good way to directly get to Europe from Bangkok.
• One big advantage of my going the Star Alliance route is that as a 2-million miler, I  can have the equivalent of two 70-pound suitcases.  Other airlines generally have a 50 pound maximum.
• On our OMGA trip, some of the airlines allowed only a max of 50 pounds.
• I was 13 pounds overweight on one check-in, and the added cost was more than $100, except that we were able to move things around and got by without any extra cost.
• It was, though, a frantic mess at the check-in desk.
• When I'm on Star Alliance, I also have free access to the partner lounges.
• If not on Star Alliance, flying business class allows you to use that airline's lounge for free.

This around the world itinerary I called Our Monumental Global Adventure, or OMGA.  The next will be Our Memorably Extraordinary Global Adventure, or OMEGA, for that will be my final such trip.

• Will be by plane, ship and train.
• I love train rides.
• Earlier this year I posted:  WHAT ABOUT GOING (MOSTLY) AROUND THE WORLD ON TRAINS? COST?
• However, they all had to work in planes, and other modes, for there is no way of actually circumnavigating Earth only on trains.
• 
  Railbookers has a package that will take you, mostly on trains, from Vancouver to Singapore.
• 80 days, 13 countries and 20+ iconic cities.
• Would cost you from $113,599, plus a whole bunch of flights at your expense.

• 

  So clearly, trains can only be a portion of OMEGA.  As for example.
• Royal Scotsman to see Scotland.  They have a 5-day Scotch Malt Whisky Tour, featuring stops at Glenlivet, Tomatin  and Tullibardane.  But the cost is $10,000/person.
• Venice-Simplon-Orient-Express, which is mentioned because of the film, but not realistic because it is too expensive.  Istanbul to London in nine days?  This original 1883 route now costs $25,000/person.
• 
  The Eastern and Oriental Express connecting Singapore and Bangkok (and up to Chiang Mai), might make my list.  I did this in 2011.  The first stop from Bangkok was at the River Kwai.  As I glance at what I said, I'm easing off, for the train runs on a narrow track, and there is considerable wobbling, making it dangerous for old people.

• VIA Rail Canada is also one I've taken, in 2017, from Vancouver to Toronto.  Perhaps the next time, in reverse, as OMEGA will go west.

Anyway, trains will occupy a third or less of OMEGA.  The ideal cruise or two would be a must.

• Perhaps something will pop up from Honolulu west.
• I once went from Honolulu to Auckland on the Crystal Symphony.  This would be an ideal beginning for OMEGA.  However, nothing looks promising today.
• So it looks to begin with a flight to Tokyo.
• There are numerous cruises from Tokyo to Singapore or Bali or Sydney,
• Then another cruise that stops by Mauritius, South Africa and the Canary Islands.
• Perhaps a cruise from New York to San Francisco around South America.
• The airline part should be easy, and most probably without a link to something like Star Alliance.  Business class for sure.

So some advice about going around the world.

• Always go west.  Read this article about why.
• When you cruise, you get to sleep longer each night.
• When you fly, it will be during the day to enjoy the flight, getting into the next city before it gets dark.
• If you only fly around the world, consider one of the three major airline alliances:  SkyTeam, Oneworld and Star Alliance.
• I am wedded to Star Alliance, for I am a 2 million miler.  I can take two 70 pound suitcases.  There is always an airport lounge.
• If you are not a regular flyer with any airline, fly business class.

• 
  A decade ago there was adequate first class service.  
• My Ultimate Global Adventure went first class and took 51 days.
• The airline ticket alone cost around $22,000, but it was worth it.  Hotels and other expenses more than doubled that figure.
• The first flight was east to San Francisco.
• Then, first class overnight to Sydney, but I was forced to do that because Star Alliance could only get me to Sydney if I flew to San Francisco first.  I talked them into letting me stay overnight because of my age and membership level.  I wanted to drop off my golf bag, for I was meeting a group for a week of golf to Napa Valley.
• A summary and some final thoughts.
• Today, many airlines have abandoned first class, so go business class.

Time magazine had a thoughtful focus on Les Fleurs, a 1970 song by Minnie Ripperton.  I remembered her name, but none of her songs came to mind.  Looked her up and found some worthy info:

• Born in 1947 and died at the age of 31 from breast cancer.
• Had a five-octave vocal range.

• 
  Sang back-up for Etta James, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters.
• Had son Marc in 1968, and later married his father, music producer Richard Rudolph, in 1970.

• 
  Had a daughter Maya...who herself has become famous, first with Saturday Night Live.
• Recorded Les Fleurs in 1972.
• Reached the apex of her career in 1975 with Lovin' You.  Ah, I absolutely do remember this song, and loved it.  If you can find that version, at the end of this song, she says Maya, Maya, Maya, and later to Maya, Maya, Ringo, nickname for Marc.
• Was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1976, and passed away three years later.

But about that Time article, there is a suggestion that Les Fleurs could become the hidden gem of this summer:

• In the movie Back to Black about Amy Winehouse, Minnie Riperton's Les Fleurs embodies the feeling of being in love.  This is one of those films rated terrible (35%) by Rotten Tomatoes reviewers, but nicely given 86% by the audiences.  Usually, I side with the viewers.
• 
  Mentioned is another film, The Idea of You, involving 40-year old Anne Hathaway in a fling with 24-year old boy band sensation (Nicholas Galitzine), where Les Fleurs flourishes Hathaway's joyous jaunt to his hotel for their first night together.
• Les Fleurs was not a commercial success for Ripperton.  Wonder how much more meaningful if both films had used Lovin' You?

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