LA County faces full-blown COVID surge: https://www.aol.com/news/l-county-facing-full-blown-151529434.html . The Omicron virus retains its potential, certainly among those that fail to maintain their vaccination status. LA County’s population is just under 10 million. China’s population is over 1.4 billion, or over 140 times that of LA County, and there are less effective vaccines and no existing immunity from prior infections. Easing the Zero COVID policy without effectively vaccinating at least those over 50 has every possibility for mass murder.
WSJ: COVID’s keys to better relationships: https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-better-relationships-11670360528 . Ahem. The key point is get vaccinated and don’t die on your prospective partner. The first date that turned into a move-in does not strike me as evidence of emotional maturity.
Chinese expert predicts 80% to 90% of population will eventually have COVID: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/most-chinese-may-end-up-with-covid-senior-health-adviser-warns/ar-AA151JfZ?cvid=f22b1b5c82de4699914b28d6ce343aad . Duh. What are you doing to vaccinate the vulnerable? You’ve had more than 2 years to get this right …
COVID fear spreads in China: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-12-07/too-many-positives-as-china-rows-back-covid-curbs-virus-fears-spread . WSJ: What did we miss?: https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-scraps-most-testing-quarantine-requirements-in-covid-19-policy-pivot-11670398522 . What you missed is that many Chinese are better educated than their government.
WSJ: We don’t think, we just write: https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-chinas-covid-19-reopening-means-for-markets-11670422173 . The Journal blabs about how economic recovery will proceed in China, as if the reopening will be relatively smooth and all the issues are economic. So where is the recognition of predictions that 1.5 million or more Chinese will die from the coming COVID wave? There is broad assumption that COVID is now less deadly. In my view, that’s only because of quality vaccination and previous COVID waves in the rest of the world. But China does not have either of those things. The 1.5 million death prediction has every chance of being too low.
Fauci worries about a wave of new subvariants from China reopening: https://www.yahoo.com/now/fauci-isn-t-just-worried-231618634.html . One-sixth of the world’s population is about to be exposed to COVID with little prior protection. Fauci’s concern comes from basic logic as much as medical expertise.
Fauci criticizes “death by politics”: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/fauci-criticizes-extreme-ideological-divide-led-disproportionate-covid-rcna60463 . This phenomena boils down to “un-natural self-selection”. So why are Ohio and Florida becoming more conservative? Is it because thinking people move away from places where you freeze your ass off in winter, or where the hurricanes are getting stronger while the ocean is rising? Just asking …
White House pushes back on Congress over military vaccine mandate: https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2022-12-07/white-house-slams-congress-for-move-to-rescind-militarys-vaccine-mandate .
New Zealand court rules against anti-vax parents: https://apnews.com/article/health-new-zealand-covid-blood-transfusion-5a2a190d241816a4c26ba2c384ffc012 . From the standpoint of transfusions, I don’t see much difference between a vaccinated person and one that previously had COVID. Both of their bloodstreams contain COVID antibodies.
Declining real estate market hammers recent buyers: https://news.yahoo.com/homebuyers-underwater-mortgage-203707947.html . Remember that most forecasters expect at least a further 10% decline in home values in the next 12 months. Some of these folks are already in serious financial trouble.
History predicts stock market will fall further during 2023: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/bnp-paribas-studied-100-years-of-market-crashes-here-s-what-it-says-is-coming-next/ar-AA150bL6?cvid=3e712cad22e54298a33c233ae8ac0592 . The current crop of economic statistics also paints an ugly picture for the market going forward.
American buyers support TSMC US expansion: https://www.wsj.com/articles/tsmcs-u-s-chip-gambit-has-powerful-backers-11670408849 . Again, this has major national security overtones.
Power restored in North Carolina substation attack: https://apnews.com/article/shootings-vandalism-north-carolina-ffdea2db1979ba952d87d73fb1db4a68 .
President Joe Manchin sees his term come to an end: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/senate/manchin-suffers-two-major-setbacks-to-his-power .
About half of charged January 6 insurrectionists have now pleaded guilty: https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/465-rioters-have-pleaded-guilty-for-their-role-in-the-capitol-insurrection-so-far-this-table-is-tracking-them-all/ar-BB1gAk4Y?cvid=887067c36de7431690b4ddb2031106b2 .
Fox hammers Orange Julius after Walker defeat: https://www.mediaite.com/politics/donald-trumps-political-obituary-fox-news-op-ed-excoriates-former-president-after-dems-hold-senate/ . Over time, Fox will turn their listeners away from OJ.
OJ slides deeper in far-right QAnon lunacy: https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-hosts-event-featuring-qanon-pizzagate-conspiracy-theorist/story?id=94701765 . Apparently OJ has a political death wish. That’s good news for America.
WSJ: OJ’s upcoming legal battles: https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-organization-faces-more-legal-battles-in-new-york-after-tax-fraud-verdict-11670434128 . And the OJ screw-ups just keep on coming: https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-legal-team-finds-two-more-documents-marked-classified-11670447615 .
Dozens arrested in German coup plot: https://apnews.com/article/europe-germany-constitutions-d7e67cfefbd1f33e2909f9c2fe1a3d3d . This lunacy is bad enough in the US. But how does it possibly translate to Germany? More: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-12-07/25-suspected-members-of-german-far-right-group-arrested-in-raids-prosecutors-office . King Heinrich XIII? Didn’t they know XIII is an unlucky number?
Florida “Don’t Say Gay” lawmaker indicted on fraud charges: https://apnews.com/article/health-florida-business-tallahassee-government-and-politics-908a66654d725730cd85c80f715b2eba . Seriously, take a look at this guy’s picture. Does he look normal to you? I don’t approve of judging people by their looks. However, this guy just looks dangerous to me.
WSJ: Musk releases internal Twitter correspondence, top lawyer departs: https://www.wsj.com/articles/elon-musks-release-of-documents-triggers-twitter-lawyer-jim-bakers-exit-11670386165 . Here we see another CEO who lashes out without paying attention to legal advice. Remind you of any orange pig you know? That isn’t ending well, is it?
WSJ: NY Times staffers to strike Thursday: https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-times-staffers-to-stage-first-strike-in-over-40-years-thursday-11670471199 .
Political crisis envelopes Peru as president impeached and arrested: https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/07/americas/peru-president-castillo-congress-dissolves-intl/index.html . More: https://apnews.com/article/politics-peru-caribbean-government-and-ee258b8b8495c9ae06a43f6d3c906a7a . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/peru-president-plans-to-dissolve-congress-before-impeachment-vote-11670434030 .
Aaron Judge stays with Yankees with $360 million, 9 year deal: https://sports.yahoo.com/aaron-judge-yankees-reportedly-in-agreement-on-nine-year-360-m-contract-132648435.html . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/aaron-judge-new-york-yankees-11670422729 . In this case, Judge gained massive benefits by betting on himself. No one suggests Judge has used steroids. However, now there is emerging evidence that Judge hit juiced balls: https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb-reportedly-used-three-baseballs-during-2022-season-and-yankees-mightve-benefitted-most-171038661.html . It’s not great when the league itself appears to be cheating.
WSJ: World Cup 2022: England v France: Mbappe v Walker: https://www.wsj.com/articles/england-france-world-cup-mbappe-kyle-walker-11670432377 . This should be a well-played game, and this match-up will be the place to watch closely. The real key is that these players have faced each other before. So if Mbappe is as good as advertised (he is), he should have something up his sleeve for Walker.