World COVID deaths hit 6 million: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/china-cases-climb-global-deaths-near-6-million-virus-update/ar-AAUHRqi?li=BBnb7Kz . Note that COVID is exploding in China. As we’ve pointed out for some time, Zero COVID only works as a short-term opportunity to vaccinate your population.
Mixed picture of BA2 severity: https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/17/health/ba-2-covid-severity/index.html . This article is 2 weeks old. However, to update, CDC still sees no evidence that BA2 causes more severe disease than Omicron BA1.
WSJ: Novavax vaccine moves toward FDA approval: https://www.wsj.com/articles/novavaxs-covid-19-vaccine-moves-closer-to-fda-authorization-decision-11646562601 .
Anti-mandate trucker convoy circles DC: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trucker-convoy-drives-laps-dc-beltway-rcna18916 . Dear Morons: Time to find the off-ramp. You now have no basis to complain about high gas prices. Please stop wasting fuel and maybe the rest of us will stop laughing at you. Maybe. Okay, not really … We’re becoming more enthusiastic about driverless trucks.
Meanwhile, the Russian convoy is still stuck on the road to Kyiv: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-europe-moscow-0479970c33745de8f630fc9b5c82a793 . It is almost inconceivable that a military could amass this size of an invasion force and then fail to effectively supply it when they’re only going 60 miles over the border. Yes, this does signal larger problems in the Russian military.
Russians attack Ukrainian airfield, but have not knocked out Ukrainian air defenses: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russian-forces-attack-airfields-in-ukraine-as-zelensky-pleads-for-fighter-jets/ar-AAUGZtY?li=BBnb7Kz .
US backs NATO nations sending fighter jets to Ukraine: https://www.aol.com/news/russian-tactics-ukraine-invasion-similar-085116239.html . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/ukrainian-president-asks-congress-to-help-secure-russian-made-jet-fighters-11646511532 . The failure of the Russian blitzkrieg means Putin has already lost this war. I hope for a ceasefire of any kind to reduce the suffering of the Ukrainians. But Putin is now in a war where we are fighting a proxy war against him, with the world on our side. He didn’t learn a damn thing from Russia’s mistakes in Afghanistan. We’ve upped our commitment to the Ukrainians and world peace. Up yours, Vlad.
This is reminiscent of the Lend Lease program during World War II. While we initially helped the United Kingdom, we later used the program to help the Soviet Union: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lend-Lease . Russia was therefore on the winning side of that program; they’re on the opposite side now.
More specifically, and beyond any of the analysis in the media, this war is now a resupply race. The supplies we are pouring into Ukraine will, over time, outstrip Russia’s ability to resupply its troops: https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/06/politics/mark-milley-ukraine-military-assistance/index.html . Even though no one is talking about it, Ukraine’s chances are improving. Meanwhile, the civilian bombing Russia carries out on our TVs each night stiffens world resolve against Putin. This is not Syria.
WSJ: Why the Russian blitzkrieg failed: https://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-advance-is-blunted-by-ukrainian-tactics-war-tested-troops-and-western-weapons-11646575579 . The Journal argues that Ukraine has battle-hardened troops because of the 8 year conflict in the Donbas region. As that conflict is much smaller than the current conflagration, that’s probably not a major factor now, but it’s an interesting point.
More predictions on Ukraine: https://www.aol.com/news/no-good-outcome-putins-unraveling-100129687.html . This article was included yesterday, but has been updated. The material at the end of the article suggests Russia will devastate Ukraine (true if there is no ceasefire). But what then? They cannot install a puppet government without pacifying the population, which everyone agrees is not possible. It is important that Zelensky lives (Vlad’s Target #1). If he does, and remains head of the Ukrainian government, I believe the West will not only rebuild Ukraine (a new Marshall Plan) but take them into NATO.
And by the way, the importance of Zelensky further demonstrates the abject incompetence of Florida’s Senator Mario Boobio noted yesterday. When you’re a stand-out incompetent in today’s GOP, you’ve earned your loser tattoo.
Does Vlad have a sense of humor? Here’s a test: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/a-new-sign-placed-in-front-of-the-russian-embassy-in-dc-dubs-the-road-president-zelensky-way-in-honor-of-ukraines-leader/ar-AAUI40i?li=BBnb7Kz .
Yacht on my watch: https://money.yahoo.com/yachts-of-sanctioned-russian-oligarch-190929637.html . Note that the Russian oligarchs control one-third of Russian wealth. Gosh, does this mean that Communism has failed in Russia? Not necessarily, because this is less than the US oligarchs control. Are any of the Russian oligarchs as irritating as Mark Zuckerberg? Besides Putin, I mean …
A few days ago, someone commented that Russia was a gas station with a government. That also applies to Saudi Arabia – and Kuwait, Iraq, UAE and so on.
WSJ: More on the Russian oligarchs: https://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-oligarchs-sanctions-what-to-know-11646264511 .
And now, more stupidity from the Orange Moron: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-muses-about-a-really-bad-%e2%80%94-and-evidently-illegal-%e2%80%94-idea-to-bomb-russia-using-chinese-flags/ar-AAUGLxH?li=BBnb7Kz . What “evidently”? This is beyond ridiculous on its face. Of course it violates international law to use another country’s flag. This idiot got 4 years of intelligence briefings, and this is his idea of an idea? Boy, did Putin miss his chance.
Welcome to the 2022 fire season – in March: https://apnews.com/article/wildfires-storms-ron-desantis-hurricanes-evacuations-6d2fe98e378bfbbf39b879917c60b9c1 . Note to this deep red area – COVID is flammable … if you smell smoke of any kind, it’s past time to get vaccinated.
WSJ: Scientists may be about to screw up the oceans: https://www.wsj.com/articles/harnessing-the-ocean-to-combat-climate-change-11646582410 . Sigh. So Jim, I’m an actuary, not an oceanographer, dammit (Star Trek Bones McCoy reference). That said, the ideas in this article seem to miss obvious points. Because there is increased CO2 in the atmosphere, there is already increased CO2 in the ocean. That affects the populations of life in the oceans. Simplistically, it helps the plants and hurts the animals.
But the bottom line is that we’re tinkering with a complex system that has changed slowly over millions of years, and that is not a good idea. The ideas which dissolve even more CO2 in the ocean are therefore an even worse idea. Those that precipitate out the CO2 into a solid seem more plausible, but this still has the law of unintended consequences written all over it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unintended_consequences .