BA5 booster distribution nears: https://news.yahoo.com/new-covid-boosters-could-mark-turning-point-in-pandemic-191546745.html . Sigh. The reporter is trying to predict the course of the pandemic, which is not a good idea. The Feds’ decision to upgrade the new booster to BA5 was a good decision (mainly because anything else would have been a bad decision). As we have said since early in the pandemic, the emergence of new variants becomes more probable as the global viral load increases. Pure logic would tell you that. We still have high global viral load, so new variants are not off the table.
The new booster will not be a major turning point in the pandemic, for several reasons. Chief among them, Americans are not getting their booster shots. Also, none of the various commentators seem to process the idea that because up to half of all cases are asymptomatic, this highly contagious virus will continue to circulate amongst the global population.
The reporter also discusses the so-called seasonal component of this disease. I understand COVID is a respiratory illness, but that is not definitive here. The evidence just does not show a marked seasonal pattern for the appearance of disease waves.
Another worry which the various commentators do not discuss is the evolution of the virus within immunocompromised people. This appears to be the source of new variants with the greatest number of mutations. Because South Africa has the world’s largest population of immunocompromised people, in my view it is no surprise that the most virulent strains have come from that country. While mutations can occur anywhere, monitoring emerging variants in South Africa is a wise precaution.
US will transition COVID vaccines and treatments to the private market in 2023: https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2022-08-30/u-s-plans-to-move-covid-vaccines-treatments-to-private-markets-in-2023 .
First US monkeypox death reported: https://news.yahoo.com/monkeypox-death-texas-immunocompromised-united-states-153213629.html . This report’s lack of detail may reinforce the idea that monkeypox is a “gay disease”. Without knowing why the individual was “severely immunocompromised”, the most common reasons for a suppressed immune system are cancer and AIDS. In any event, monkeypox is a serious disease.
US life expectancy drops 2 ½ years in the past two years: https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/31/health/life-expectancy-declines-2021/ . This is the lowest life expectancy figure since 1996 and reflects the devastation of COVID. Eat your veggies, cut out the booze and keep a positive attitude. Oh, and get your boosters, for heaven’s sake.
Assisted living gone wrong: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/assisted-living-resident-dies-ingesting-toxic-chemicals-rcna45403 . What a tragic situation for everyone involved! Suspending the employees involved is obviously not enough. This has all the earmarking of criminal negligence (at the least). Expect charges. Atria has over 430 facilities in 45 states and 7 Canadian provinces.
More evidence of the coming recession: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/all-the-economic-good-news-from-jobs-to-inflation-was-just-a-momentary-blip-the-worst-is-yet-to-come/ar-AA11grvi?cvid=dccf2c42bbb6439092fd7fc7e8c13d3c . My observation from a lifetime of watching this stuff: There are plenty of “experts” on Wall Street who think their job is to tout stocks. That is, for them, the next direction is always up. When the experts are at least 50-50 negative to positive, as they are now, things are really bad. And in my view, the economic numbers already tell you that.
Europe’s energy crisis has “no end in sight”: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/europe-s-energy-crisis-has-no-end-in-sight-as-the-perfect-storm-continues-to-rage-on-here-s-what-you-want-to-know/ar-AA11gHHT?cvid=bbeddd5cb3a642dab23fe77e9f0490b9 . This reinforces yesterday’s report and identifies additional factors hampering the flow of energy.
Is the Iran nuclear deal back on?: https://www.investing.com/news/commodities-news/oil-tumbles-6-as-iran-tv-says-revival-of-nuclear-deal-agreed-2882738 . If true, this is a huge win for Biden, the US and its European allies.
WSJ: China’s real estate market continues collapse: https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-property-market-has-slid-into-severe-depression-real-estate-giant-says-11661863259 .
WSJ: Ukraine’s southern offensive advances: https://www.wsj.com/articles/ukraine-aims-to-build-on-initial-gains-in-southern-offensive-11661857435 .
Another wheel falls off the OJ bus: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-posts-dozens-of-memes-attacking-biden-the-fbi-and-others-as-the-former-president-s-allies-beg-him-to-keep-quiet/ar-AA11hpRa?cvid=4645792d810d4363982db16919b93026 . Of the explanations offered, the evidence favors “just completely lost his mind”.
Also, the latest DOJ filing suggests the OJ bus’ transmission is shot: https://apnews.com/article/mar-a-lago-government-and-politics-1fef158c3a66bfc0ba6224570753ba47 . OJ and his GOP defenders tried to argue (with, as usual, no particular attachment to the facts) that OJ had been cooperative with DOJ. We now learn that OJ’s attorneys said all documents transported to Mar-a-Lago were in one location, the storage room. So how did classified materials end up in OJ’s office, some not in boxes but in desks?
There are only two conceivable explanations: (1) OJ had taken documents which were never in the storage room or (2) OJ took documents from the storage room. In either case, OJ is the person mishandling the secret documents, and he did not disclose that to his own lawyers. Frankly, no lawyer in his right mind would willingly take on this type of client.
Yet, OJ has a new lawyer, Christopher Kise: https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/30/politics/chris-kise-trump-legal-team/index.html . Mr. Kise resigned from his firm to do this, which tells you the firm did not want OJ as a client. My best guess is that Mr. Kise, a long-time support lawyer for various Florida Republicans, has political aspirations of his own. However, the DOJ filing suggests that Mr. Kise may soon be hoisted by his own petard.
NASA Artemis launch rescheduled for Saturday: https://apnews.com/article/astronomy-space-launches-exploration-science-technology-297ec780fdc7e0f649e2d1655297cb6e .
LIV defections ramp up: https://sports.yahoo.com/liv-golf-cameron-tringales-jump-the-first-of-many-expected-this-week-173828594.html . Actually, if the defections are “as many as seven”, that is not much. PGA is moving to protect its elite players, and that will likely be successful. LIV is then looking at a combination of second-tier players and people on the downward slope of their careers (think Phil Mickelson) who are looking for a significant payday before departing. Saudi sponsorship remains an anchor around the neck of LIV.
The Webb telescope is bringing us information that doesn’t fit current theories of the universe: https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-puzzled-james-webb-stuff .
Mikhail Gorbachev passes at 91: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62732447 . Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, will be remembered for his policies of glasnost, or openness allowing criticism of the government, and perestroika (started by Brezhnev), or market restructuring and the end of central economic planning. Gorbachev received the Nobel Peace Prize for 1990. However, the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, and with it Gorbachev’s political career: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Gorbachev . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/mikhail-gorbachev-dead-soviet-union-leader-reformer-11656704339 .