YEAR 2026: What has happened so far, and what will be coming?

 I'll start with what happened over the past 24 hours:

• The China Xi - USA Trump summit in Beijing was not a disaster.  Not much was agreed to, but no huge problems resulted. Xi admonished Trump about Taiwan, and his response was muted.  China could play a role in settling the Iran War.  It appears that Xi Jinping will return a visit to the U.S. in September.
• In a Star Advertiser poll:

What should the U.S. do in the war against Iran?

May 14, 2026 

• D. Just “finish the job” with military action (235 Votes)
• A. Current ceasefire/diplomacy is working (126 Votes)
• B. Call on NATO for active role (105 Votes)
  
  

• C. Call on China for active role (54 Votes)
  
  

• 
  Oil prices went up:

Brent crude futures gained $3.35, or 3.17%, to $109.07 a barrel by 12:34 p.m. CDT (7:34 a.m. Hawaii time). West Texas Intermediate futures were up $3.85, or 3.81%, at $105.02.

So on to my topic of the day.  May 15 is the135th day of 2026, so there are 230 days left this year.  Thus far, the top events have been:

• The Milano Cortina Winter Olympics went well from February 6-22.
• Norway 41 medals, the USA 33 and Italy 30.
• According to Google AI, the top stars were:

• 
  Franjo von Allmen (Switzerland, Alpine Skiing): Emerging as the dominant force on the slopes, he became the first male skier since 1968 to win three golds in a single Winter Olympics (downhill, super-G, and team combined).
• 
  Alysa Liu (USA, Figure Skating): Returning from retirement, she clinched gold in the women's free skate with a career-best score, having also helped Team USA to a team event gold.

• 
  Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (Norway, Cross-Country Skiing): Solidified his legacy by winning the individual sprint for the third consecutive Games, marking his place among the greatest in the sport. [1, 2, 3, 4]

• 
  Jordan Stolz (USA, Speed Skating): Broke records to win multiple gold medals, including the men's 1000m.
• Eileen Gu (China, Freestyle Skiing): Continued her dominance to become one of the most decorated female Olympic freestyle skiers.

• 
  Flora Tabanelli (Italy, Freestyle Skiing): Claimed Italy's first-ever women's freestyle skiing medal (bronze).  18-years old.

• 
  Goan Choi (South Korea, Snowboarding): 17-year old stunned the field at 17 to win the women's halfpipe. [1, 2, 3]

• 
  February 28:  USA and Israel bombed Iran, starting a war that has now dragged on for 76 days.  World gasoline prices have increased.

• Yet, according to Google AI.

As of mid-May 2026, U.S. stock markets have shown remarkable resilience, experiencing significant, record-high gains driven by robust AI-related capital expenditures, corporate earnings growth, and a high-tech "capex boom". Despite volatility from geopolitical tensions, inflation fears, and tariff policies, the market continues a, Bull market through 2026, with the S&P 500 projected to reach 7,600 by year-end. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

• 
  The Strait of Hormuz is still closed.
• Europe, Russia and China stayed on the sidelines.
• Artemis II successfully returned to Earth on 10April2026.
• You might have missed this, but Google AI picked as #1 major global event this year

Escalation of AI-Driven Agentic Workflows

By April 2026, Google announced that 75% of all new code at the company is AI-generated and approved by engineers, signaling a rapid shift toward autonomous agentic workflows. This followed the full implementation of the EU AI Act in early 2026, marking a significant, global regulatory shift for high-risk systems.

What else will be happening this year?

• Well, I can predict that Halemaumau Crater will erupt again.  Episode 47 occurred yesterday, and like almost all the others, fountained only for a few hours.  Timing now seems to be around 10 hours.  Has happened every one to three weeks since 23December 2024.
• World Environment Day on June 5, World Oceans Day on June 8, Lavender Bloom in Provence, France in July.

• 
  The USA will celebrate our Semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary, on 4July2026.
• Celebrations all year are being led by America250 and the Freedom 250 Task Force.
• The theme is 350 for 250, engaging all 350 million Americans, a number that will be reached later this year, and Soaring Onward Together for 250 Years.
• Details?

The Great American State Fair (June 25 – July 10, 2026): Located on the National Mall in D.C., featuring 50 state pavilions, a 110-foot Ferris wheel, and celebrations of American culture.

National Mall Celebration (July 4, 2026): A massive, central celebration planned for Independence Day in Washington, D.C..

Sail4th 250 (July 3-8, 2026): The largest international maritime gathering in modern American history, taking place in the Port of New York and New Jersey, featuring 60 ships from 30 countries.

America’s Block Party (July 3-4): Celebrations spanning multiple cities, beginning with a "ball drop" in Times Square on July 3.

National Garden of American Heroes: Scheduled to open, featuring statues of significant Americans.

Cultural Programs: Including "America Innovates" (traveling tech expo), "America Waves" (community flag-waving), and a national time capsule to be buried in Philadelphia. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]

• 
  This is a big year for the USA, for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will occur from June 11 to July 19, hosted by the U.S., (11 cities), Mexico 3 cities) and Canada (2 cities), but the final game will occur in the USA on July 19.
• The defending champion is Argentina.
• For the first time in tournament history, the competition has been expanded from 32 teams to 48.  There will be 12 groups of 4 teams.

• 
  First game for the USA is against Paraguay in Group D at 3PM on June 12.  Odds on the U.S. winning the whole thing?  Listed between 40-1 and 80-1.  80-1 means the odds of winning the championship are around 1.2%.
• DraftKings and FanDuel show the USA among the top 15-20 teams, with odds hovering between +6000 and +8000.
• Favorites?  Both France and Spain at +450 to +500.
• Watch this video for more details.

• There will be a half-time show at the championship game on July 19, to occur at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

• 
  Total Solar Eclipse on 12August2026.
• Will pass over Siberia, Greenland, Iceland and Spain.
• We will fly to Iceland to catch the Azamara Journey to watch this event.  This is an 18-night cruise departing Reykjavik on August 8, arriving in Montreal on August 26.  We then fly to Vancouver to board the the Silver Whisper on a 10-night cruise to Honolulu.

• 
  Burning Man, Nevada, August 30 to September 7.
• Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany, September 19-October 4.

• 
  White Truffle Festival, Alba, Piedmont, Italy, October-November.
• Conference of Parties #29 will occur in Baku, Azerbaijan from November 11 to 22 to further discuss how to reduce global warming.
• Nothing particular monumental occurring in December, except there will be another Christmas on December 25.

• 
  However, we plan to be in Vietnam in December for two luxury train trips in Vietnam, followed by a Viking cruise from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi.

• 
  Finally, something astonishing is happening to this blog site.
• It took me forever to reach 1 million viewers to the original site.
• I hit 5 million last month.
• Today, I see that I am now past 6 million.
• My all-time high for one day occurred recently at 80,000 or so.  The day is not over, and I am at 145,000 so far today.

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