While on the one hand, Veep JD Vance cancelled his trip to Geneva to sign that Memorandum of Understanding with Iran, it so turns out that there now seems to be some kind of ceasefire between Israel and the Hezbollah .  So what?  Well, chances are that Vance will now go to Europe as soon as this weekend, and, over the next 60 days or so, maybe re-negotiate a larger peace with Iran.  Israel, however, is still not on the list to sign.  I thought they were a key player in all of this. If the last time you were in Japan, say 2013, the dollar-yen exchange rate was 100.  In other words, instead of paying $500, today the cost would only be $313.  Unfortunately, hotel rates have zoomed up by 40% during this period, so you really haven't gained all that much in value.  Yet, Google AI says: For Americans, hotel rates in Japan are generally cheaper in USD today than they were 13 years ago . While the underlying Japanese Yen (JPY) prices have surged due to mas...

About the Israel-Iran War and U.S. involvement, here are the latest developments. President Donald Trump demanded Iran unconditionally surrender, and that he could order killing the Ayatollah .  As you know, the  Supreme Leader ordered an operative last year to assassinate Trump before the election . Of course,  Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei  rejected Trump's threat. So the U.S. is now  moving its third, and newest, super carrier force, headed by the USS Gerald R. Ford, to the Mediterranean .  This will take a little time to get there, perhaps hinting of when action might be taken about the entry of America into that war.  Not boots on the ground, but B-2s with bunker bombs to target Iran nuclear facilities. American personnel in Israel are being removed.  Other embassies will soon follow. What could Iran do if the U.S. actually joins Israel in these air strikes? So far, Iran has launched more than 370 missiles and hundreds of dron...