So many things to contemplate and explore, and yet so little room to extrapolate here:
Science has done it again… The James Webb Telescope sighted exoplanet K2-18 b and early reports suggest its atmosphere might have atmospheric gases found only via biological processes, and thus “may” be full of microbial life. E.T., call home! K2-18 b is 124 light-years from Earth; a light-year is 5.9 trillion miles, so K2-18 b is a mere 731.6 trillion miles away. Set the phasers on stun, this could be the big one! Or not. But, kinda cool to think just what might be, yeh? And IF there is possibly lifeforms out there, shouldn’t we see a Starbuck’s sign in future telescope probes of K2-18 b?
I don’t know how to say this subtly, so I’ll be forthright. Be quiet. Please. You, sitting in the airport lobby with the Bluetooth earpiece… we can hear your inane phone chat. Not interested. You, in the restaurant with your speakerphone on, we don’t care to hear about your sister’s boyfriend’s cousin’s gout flare up. You, in the movie theater eight seconds before the movie begins- we’re unamused with your Cancy Crush or Call of Duty gamesmanship. Yes, I know it’s your world and we’re all just guests, but how about a bit of public decorum and aloha. Shhh.
It gets confusing about who’s leaving here and who’s moving in, as Census Bureau numbers include nationwide estimates that might not be appropriate or clear for small states like Hawai`i. Recent details provided by UHERO and others now indicate that working age people are coming back home. Certain ethnic groups are now making up larger percentages of Hawai`i in-comers and out-goers than in past analyses. The bottom line is- we need workers who want to and can afford to be here, and can live fulfilling work/home/extracurricular lives… an age-old dilemma being addressed at many levels (again). If you build it, they will come? Well, maybe; if it’s reasonable and I don’t have to eke by paycheck to paycheck for 30-years.
Finally, what’s your financial literacy IQ? With today’s concerns about tariffs, a possible recession, job cuts, et al., it’s not great that far too many American adults don’t know their ABCs (or 1,2,3s) of finance. 87% of American consumers think financial concepts should be taught in high school, and 27 states currently mandate a personal finance course. Hawai`i doesn’t.
Think about it…