As the World Turns . Sure, there was a TV soap opera from 1956 to 2010 on CBS that had 54 seasons and 13,858 episodes. About a fictional town in Illinois on the tribulations of upper class families. Produced mostly female stars, like Meg Ryan, Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei and Amanda Seyfried. Was not the longest running, for that title belongs to Guiding Light . In London, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer ( on the right ) is expected to resign tomorrow. Andy Burnham ( on the left) will probably be the next PM.  Who is he?  Another day. Brexit has seriously hurt the economy,   Hate crimes have increased in England and Wales. But London remains very safe for visitors.   Just use common street sense, as you should anywhere you go. About homicide, London is 3 times safer than New York City, 5 times better than Los Angeles and 15 times lower than Philadelphia and Chicago. About that Memorandum of Understanding discussion between Iran and the USA: Has n...

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...

But first, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met.  There was an early warning from Xi about Taiwan .  Otherwise, click on to read: Secretary of State Rubio on what Trump and Xi discussed Young Chinese facing ‘life pressure’ resist government push to boost marriage rate Chinese EVs take the world by storm — except in the United States China’s Great Wall is being restored one brick at a time The 2026 Eurovision Song Contest is underway in Vienna, Austria. Israel is not popular in Europe, but they are competing, causing a serious crisis, for five countries thereby boycotted the event, Spain, Ireland, Netherlands, Iceland and Slovenia. What is the controversy?  Pro-Palestinian support. Why is Vienna hosting?  Because JJ Austria last year won the contest, singing Wasted Love. Who will win this year?   ChatGPT predicts Felicia of Sweden with My System. How to watch. In the USA, Peacock.  Most of the rest of the world outside of Europe, the official Eurovision You...