Some good news. Artemis II astronauts returnd home. Remember Suni Williams and Butch Whitmore? They were on a 10-day NASA mission in 2024, but it took 9 months for them to finally return on March of 2025. I guess another positive sign is that there was a pre-peace talk meeting today between the Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Iranian officials. Veep J.D. Vance, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner also separately met with Sharif. Both sides continue their bluffing, angling for a better negotiating position. One in particular is Iran seeking release of $120 billion in frozen assets to occur before peace talks can begin. I've stayed at Ritz-Carltons throughout the USA, but never at the Club Level. We upgraded in New Orleans, and similar to the Ritz-Carlton Yacht cruise we took earlier this year, I don't think the luxury was worth the cost. Mind you, our Ritz-Carlton Club Level experience in the Orient was even more...
I was born and lived in Hawaii for most of my life, but additionally spent four years or more in California, Louisiana and the Washington, DC area, plus two six month sabbaticals in Tokyo. I graduated from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge in 1972, so more than half a century has passed since I last lived in this state. What has changed in Louisiana during this period? 1972 2026 Population: 3.76 million 4.62 million Black % 31% 29.5% Asian % 0.1...