Boodle Fight Tradition and FOB Lunch Excursion

Did you know that the famous Filipino boodle fight began as a military tradition during the American colonial period? Soldiers of all ranks would gather around a long table lined with banana leaves, where rice, meats, and seafood were piled high for everyone to eat together kamayan-style (with bare hands).

By removing utensils and rank, the boodle fight became more than just a meal—it was a symbol of equality, camaraderie, and unity that has since become a beloved Filipino way of celebrating.

Meanwhile, here's your chance to enjoy Filipino food in a highly-rated restaurant in Oakland, FOB. Ted has finally scheduled this after my suggestion based on the response from THD Residents at our last year lunch excursion. For Details on last year lunch visit:  

https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2024/06/lunch-at-fob-kitchen-gastronomic-delight.html

For FOB Menu : https://www.fobkitchen.com/menu

Filipino Food is Best when Eaten Filipino Style ( Sharing)

If I remember last year: Sharing with 4, Approximate Cost

Appetizer ( 2 orders ) of Vegetable or Shanghai lumpia=26

Sinigang Na Baboy. ( 1 order ). ----------------------25

Pancit Sotanghon ( 2 orders) .................................................30

Dessert Turon and Suman..................................................... 24

Beverage Mango Ice tea ( 5 each)..........................................20

Bowls of Steamed Rices is 2 each ----------------------8

Total Approximate Cost------------------------------133

Plus $20 tip---------------------------------------------153

Divide by 4=$38 each approximately. 

You can order American Style If you wish ( No Sharing):

Finally, here are the top 12 Filipino Dishes

Filipino food is a diverse cuisine that combines indigenous flavors with influences from Spain, China, and America, resulting in a unique blend of salty, sour, sweet, and umami tastes. A staple of most meals is rice, served alongside dishes like Adobo (a vinegar-soy sauce stew), Sinigang (a sour soup), and Lechon (whole roasted pig). The cuisine emphasizes balance through contrasting flavors, textures, and a reliance on local ingredients like coconut, fish sauce, and a variety of tropical fruits.

Personal Note: I just read about the upscale Filipino Restaurant, Tropa Modern Filipino cuisine in Lafayette, CA. I looked at their menu, and I have hunger cravings for oxtail Kare-kare, ribs adobo and tortang talong as well as Turon for dessert. However the restaurant is only opened for dinner and Sunday Brunch only on Wed to Sunday. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.     

 For Details visit the website: 

 

https://www.tropaeats.com/

Photos from A Perfect Day from the USS Potomac Cruise, Yesterday

We had a perfect day yesterday's during the USS Potomac Cruise of the San Francisco Bay. Thank you, Laya, Sean and Sylvia. Laya was a perfect host, making everybody in the group needs are met. At my request, she even gave me ice cold water, so I do not have to walk far on the uneven floors of the ship.

I took pictures of the bay, as well as my souvenir purchase, a base cap to add to my collection( see photo above). Before the actual cruise, we viewed a 15-minute video on the History of the USS Potomac. There are brochures available for information purposes and I am posting it here as follows:   

Here are photos of the Views from my Chair inside the Dining Room Area ( )

Souvenir gifts are displayed in the Dining Table* 

Before Boarding

Laya bringing us our box lunch

Under the Golden Gate Bridge

Alcatraz Island- Trump New Prison for Illegal Immigrants-A stupid Idea!

Rita Robillard- One of Our Cruise Members- new Resident of THD 

Under Both Bridges- Oakland-SFO and Golden Gate  

The Top Ten AI Broadcast from CBS 60 Minutes TV Show

During the last 12 months, CBS 60 Minutes TV Show, had broadcasted articles on AI technology and its application. Here are the top ten most impactful AI-focused broadcasts over the past 12 months for your reading pleasure and information.  

Top 10 Must-Highlight AI Segments from 60 Minutes (Past Year)

Drawing on the “latest artificial intelligence reports” YouTube compilation and CBS News transcripts, here’s a curated list of the most influential AI stories aired by 60 Minutes 

Segment	Key Focus & Why It Matters
1. What's Next for AI at Google DeepMind (Apr)	DeepMind's Genie 2, Astra, and world-building simulations highlight cutting-edge generative AI with implications for robotics and virtual training environments. CBS News
2. A Tutor for Every Student: Khanmigo AI(Dec)	AI-driven tutoring tools like Khanmigo showcase how education can be personalized and enhanced—while preserving human teacher roles. CBS News+1
3. To Walk Again: Prosthetic Innovations(May/July)	Brain–machine interface breakthroughs give users control and tactile feedback via robotic limbs—remarkable strides in medical technology. CBS News+1
4. Unveiling: Deepfake, "Nudify" Site Risks (Dec)	Highlights privacy and ethical concerns around AI-created deceptive content. (Context from the YouTube summary.) YouTube
5. Humans in the Loop: AI Labor in Kenya (Nov)	Exposes exploitative labor practices where workers train AI systems under poor conditions for tiny pay. CBS News
6. The Future of Warfare: AI & Defense Strategies(May)	Insights from Gen. Mark Milley on how AI could transform military decision-making—but emphasizing the continued need for human oversight. CBS News+1
7. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on AI’s Societal Impact	Huang defends the importance of humans in the AI loop and showcases how next-gen GPUs are empowering advancements in medicine, simulation, and robotics. MarketWatchCBS News
8. AI Mental Health Chatbots: Boon or Risk?	Explores how chatbot therapies—like Tessa—can sometimes offer harmful advice, especially for vulnerable users. CBS News
9. Training AI: The Hidden Human Cost	A related angle on labor concerns, going deeper into labelers’ experiences—long hours, low pay, and emotional strain. CBS News
	10. Digital Bridge—AI for Paralysis (May) Coverage of how AI-enabled technologies help paralyzed patients regain mobility or interaction. (Referenced in the YouTube summary.) YouTube Meanwhile, on a special edition airing on August 24, 2025—Sharyn Alfonsi travels to Costa Mesa, California to interview tech billionaire Palmer Luckey, founder of defense startup Anduril. The segment, titled “The Future of Warfare,” highlights the cutting-edge autonomous weapons developed by Anduril and explores their profound implications for modern conflict My BlogCBS News. Key Highlights: Autonomous Weapons in Action: Anduril is pioneering AI-powered weapons systems that operate with minimal to no human intervention—what some critics label "killer robots" CBS NewsMy Blog. Notable Technologies: The Roadrunner, a twin-turbo-jet drone interceptor, can autonomously take off, identify targets, strike if necessary, or land and retry if no target is found. Wearable 360-degree headsets enable soldiers to maintain full situational awareness. A jam-capable electromagnetic warfare system can disrupt drone swarms. The Dive XL, an autonomous submarine about the size of a school bus, capable of underwater missions without human presence. The unmanned fighter jet Fury: a cockpit-free, AI-controlled aircraft that can operate alongside manned jets—designed for high-risk missions. It’s slated for its first test flight this summer. These systems are not theoretical—they’re already deployed or under active development, with use by U.S. forces and in Ukraine CBS NewsMy Blog. AI Integration Platform — Lattice: Anduril’s AI backbone, Lattice, integrates data from satellites, drones, radar, and cameras to intelligently manage missions—from surveillance to target engagement—more swiftly than human-controlled systems CBS News. Human Oversight & Ethical Safeguards: While these weapons operate autonomously, every system includes a kill switch, allowing human operators to intervene. Luckey argues that “smart weapons” with safeguards are less dangerous than older, indiscriminate systems lacking any intelligence CBS News+1. Ethical Controversy: The segment addresses international criticism: the UN Secretary-General and other groups denounce lethal autonomous weapons as “politically unacceptable” or “morally repugnant.” Luckey counters by emphasizing real-world deterrence and the ethics of replacing human soldiers with machines that could reduce the risk to life CBS NewsMy Blog. Lastly, Did you know THE TRUE SIZE OF THE PHILIPPINES ? When we look at a world map, the Philippines often seems small—just a cluster of islands in Southeast Asia. But did you know that this impression is actually misleading? Most of the maps we use today are based on the Mercator projection, a type of map that distorts land sizes the farther a place is from the equator. Because the Philippines sits near the equator, it often looks much smaller than countries in Europe or farther north. In reality, the Philippines is much bigger than it appears. With a land area of over 300,000 square kilometers, the Philippines is larger than countries like South Korea, Portugal, Iceland, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates. It even surpasses popular nations like Nepal, Taiwan, Singapore, and Qatar in land size. On the other hand, it is still smaller than countries like France, Japan, Spain, Germany, and New Zealand, but not by much. And definitely not as tiny as it looks on a distorted map. This infographic helps us see just how vast our archipelago really is by placing it alongside the actual land sizes of well-known nations. It’s a proud reminder that the Philippines is not just a small dot on the globe—but a large, vibrant, and significant piece of the world. So the next time someone says the Philippines is “small,” you might want to show them the true size of our home.