US booster rollout starts slow: https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2022-09-23/over-4-million-americans-administered-updated-covid-boosters-says-cdc .
Global famine approaches: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-united-nations-general-assembly-health-covid-4cd84128be38ed5706a8478c8d5fa3f4 . Don’t let yourself become desensitized to such horrific news.
Global vaccine equity at UN: https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-general-assembly-science-health-pandemics-covid-9850563499383a5f4bf4e1b34951ee49 .
WSJ: Arizona’s abortion ban: https://www.wsj.com/articles/arizona-can-enforce-near-total-abortion-ban-blocked-for-50-years-judge-rules-11663976573 .
The facts again demonstrate the embarrassment that is now the US Supreme Court: https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-alabama-executions-d028c2d62f0e0fa919797030b06c30b0 . How much more evidence can there be that Alabama cannot competently carry out an execution? This certainly looks like cruel and unusual punishment. Another emergency appeal is warranted, so these conservative fools will be forced onto the record again. The state’s multiple failures constitute psychological torture of this man.
Hurricane Fiona takes aim at eastern Canada: https://apnews.com/article/storms-seniors-hurricanes-bermuda-canada-825e13d23a76e8ee85034f71aea5cf82 .
Iran violence widens: https://apnews.com/article/iran-middle-east-tehran-fe87c437becc7060075695b87e07a33d . So Iran’s denial of the basic rights of women makes them look more like … um, Ayatollah Alito?
Russia’s unsustainable loss of materiel in Ukraine: https://news.yahoo.com/russia-ukraine-tanks-equipment-destroyed-172523969.html . We have argued from the start that superior Western military equipment could win the war if we could get it through to Ukraine. Russia’s stupid military planning of the initial assault has lost the war for them. Note that the Ukrainians have captured more tanks than they have lost. And Putin calling up 300,000 troops (or, many believe, more) does not solve this basic problem. It just puts more young meat into the sausage grinder. Desperation is leading to increasingly worse decision-making. WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/facing-russian-mobilization-ukraine-holds-steady-to-maintain-momentum-11663925403 .
Biden to take on DeMentis in Florida on Tuesday: https://www.aol.com/news/biden-aim-bully-desantis-florida-100623609-164040617.html . Well, or is he taking on Hurricane Ian?: https://www.wesh.com/article/tropical-storm-ian-track-florida/41352046 . This seems like ridiculous scheduling. Shouldn’t everyone be preparing for the hurricane?
Will King Charles III have a short reign?: https://nypost.com/2022/09/14/nostradamus-predicted-king-charles-iii-to-abdicate-author/ . Readers can guess that as a devotee of science, I’m not a fan of Nostradamus. But it is at least worth wondering how someone published a book in 2005 predicting Queen Elizabeth II would die in 2022. As an actuary, I can tell you our tables do not predict individual deaths. Queen Elizabeth turned 79 on April 21, 2005. Life expectancy for an 79-year-old female in the UK in 2005 was roughly 8 years: https://knoema.com/atlas/United-Kingdom/topics/Demographics/Age/Life-expectancy-at-age-80-years . So these group statistics would have suggested a 50-50 chance of the Queen surviving to age 87.
The Queen was of course quite wealthy, which would have improved her survival chances, as would her mother’s 101 years of life. So a reasonable prediction for Queen Elizabeth from this information could have been anywhere from age 92 to age 105. Thus, age 96 would have been a good guess, but it remains remarkable that someone published this prediction in 2005. We can further say that if the book had predicted some year other than 2022, no one would bring it up now. Also, since the author expects all sales in the first year or two after publication, the guess could help sell books with no risk. Still …
King Charles III would have to live well past 140 to pass his mother, so his reign will be shorter than hers. Life expectancy for a 73-year-old British male is 13 years, or age 86: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandlifeexpectancies/articles/lifeexpectancycalculator/2019-06-07 . As the Queen lived 9 years past here life expectancy, let’s guess that King Charles will live to age 95. That would be a reign of 22 years, unless Charles abdicates. As previously indicated, I think he should do so in 10 years or less, in favor of William. Unless William and his sons are out of the picture (their joint deaths or William’s disgrace and abdication), there is no path for Harry to succeed Charles.
Judge Cannon retreats after thrashing by the 11th Circuit: https://www.salon.com/2022/09/23/backtracks-after-rebuke–legal-experts-say-it-may-sink-his-chance-to-appeal/ . This horse has left the barn. There is essentially no basis for appeal, so the matter should be closed.
Louise Fletcher passes at 88: https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-obituaries-fletcher-tv-d886facf89d7c61e796d7800966cc9fa . Truly, Nurse Ratched was one of the most riveting screen villains of all time. “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, written by Ken Kesey, and the movie, filmed at the former Oregon State Mental Hospital in Salem, have massive Oregon connections.