Wretchard.com

New at the Belmont Club. Two public health strategies, many weary publics and one endless war against a hit and run virus.

The Zero Covid Problem

Zero covid vs the adaptors

https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-on-covid-no-federal-solution-11640648750

New at the Belmont Club. Are you sure Santa isn’t real?

When Santa Claus Came to Town

Believing in Santa

https://www.wsj.com/articles/fauci-collins-emails-great-barrington-declaration-covid-pandemic-lockdown-11640129116

Putin’s low regard for the administration is making him reckless in Ukraine.

https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/putins-ukraine-calculation/

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/22/politics/joe-biden-polling-public-approval/index.html

Russia’s Gazprom PJSC has steadily reduced gas flows to Europe as the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline had its certification delayed until possibly July. No new flows into Europe are forcing utilities to drain their gas storages (already at seasonal lows). Some utilities have had to restart fossil fuel generators to avoid grid disruption.

Europe Faces Full Blown Energy Crisis As Gas Prices Smash All Records | OilPrice.com

Europe’s energy crisis got even worse on Tuesday as a shortage of natural gas, nuclear outages, declining wind power output, and cold weather boosted prices

New at the Belmont Club. How do you break out of the loser’s spiral?

I am Nobody

Strategic self deception is no substitute for competence

New at the Belmont Club. The end of the 20th century was a very special time. Only politicians could think it would last forever.

Humanity’s Second Parting

A permanent majority never lasted in human history

The threatened invasion of Ukraine

https://www.sciencealert.com/for-the-first-time-a-fusion-reaction-has-generated-more-energy-than-absorbed-by-the-fuel

To compensate for European reluctance to take Putin on

“Extreme food prices slam the world”

Russian troops mass on Ukraine’s border, prompting jitters in the West

Russian troops massing near the Ukrainian border are triggering jitters across Europe and in the United States that war might be imminent.

Biden folds, won’t oppose Putin gas pipeline

The doctors owe him another amputation for free

Austria: Doctor fined for amputating wrong leg of patient

The patient’s right leg was removed instead of his left, with the mistake discovered two days later.

The ‘stash theory’ of economics

U.N. pushes cash handouts to avert mass poverty in Afghanistan

The United Nations said on Wednesday that a program to pay $300 million a year in cash to Afghan families with children, elderly or people with disabilities is the best way to target increasing poverty.