May..

 

Fatality..

At least 51 people died and several others remained hospitalized Tuesday after an abandoned tractor-trailer was found in San Antonio  amid sweltering heat, in what officials are calling likely the nation's deadliest smuggling incident on record. 

The driver of the truck and two other people were arrested, according to U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas. He said the truck had passed through a Border Patrol checkpoint northeast of Laredo, Texas, on Interstate 35. Cuellar didn’t know if migrants were inside the truck when it cleared the checkpoint.

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the victims had "families who were likely trying to find a better life."

The International Organization for Migration, which is part of the United Nations, said 651 people died attempting to cross the U.S.- Mexico border in 2021 — the largest number since 2014. 

Story..

 

This is going to be a very long nightmare. The first few months,  decisions were made that brought us to this point. Economy, Inflation, Gasoline, South Border migrants, baby formula, and the expected recession.  That's only the beginning of this story. We still have three more years to go of this presidency. 

 Just a thought.

Petro..

Inflation as measured by the (CPI) set a 40-year high in March 2022 amid COVID-19 supply disruptions. Crude oil prices were the highest in a decade as the U.S. cancelled to pipelines in USA and Germany, and imposed sanctions on Russia which disturb the flow of oil food, and fertilizers around the globe.

There was a strong correlation between inflation and oil prices during the 1970s. Costly renewable energy could re-strengthen the correlation between energy costs and a higher inflation rate.

A study by the Federal Reserve Bank suggested that if crude oil prices rose to $100 per barrel for three months, the spike would boost the annual inflation rate by 3 percentage. it has reached $120 and continue for a long time.

Energy accounted for about 7.3% of the CPI as of December 2021, including the index weighting of about 4% for energy commodities.1

Crude oil is a key ingredient in petrochemicals used to make plastic. So, more expensive oil will tend to increase the prices of many products made with plastic.  Just a thought.

Hoodwink..

 

We hear repeatedly about the Inflation.... It is higher prices on many items we need to buy, food, baby formula, Gas, heatring homes... On other way, the 2 % raise you got on your salary last year, or the $15/hour success you achieve, you realy needed 9% raise just to saay afloat... Hand to mouth sort of thing.

Last year, the secretary of treasury indicated that the inflation is transitory, after the President cancelled the Keystone xl pipeline and indicated no more drilling in Federal land.

The secretary of treasury is an experienced woman and served in many other related positions including the Federal Reserve chief. She is well versed in the issue and gets paid around $200,000 to do her job.

So who told her to hoodwink it this time? 

The outcome here is not too short of "Fleecing of America". The poor people and not the so poor. All kind of people and specifically what Mr Biden called them" You ain't black."  

Just a thought.

Stars..

 

The brunt..

 

 The war against Ukraine and sanctions on Russia are hitting economies around the globe, with emerging market and developing countries in the Europe and Central Asia region expected to bear the brunt, says the World Bank’s latest Economic Update for the region, released today.

The region’s economy is now forecast to shrink by 4.1 percent this year, compared with the pre-war forecast of 3 percent growth, as the economic shocks from the war compound the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Ukraine’s economy is expected to shrink by an estimated 45.1 percent this year, although the magnitude of the contraction will depend on the duration and intensity of the war. 

Hit by unprecedented sanctions, Russia’s economy has already plunged into a deep recession with output projected to contract by 11.2 percent in 2022.[ May be]

“The magnitude of the humanitarian crisis unleashed by the war and the sanctions is staggering. The Russian invasion is delivering a massive blow to Ukraine’s economy and it has inflicted enormous damage to infrastructure,” said Anna Bjerde, World Bank Vice President for the Europe and Central Asia region.

The war has added to mounting concerns of a sharp global slowdown, surging inflation and debt, and a spike in poverty levels. The economic impact has reverberated through multiple channels, including commodity and financial markets, trade and migration links and adverse impact on confidence.

Copper..

 

Investors look to copper prices as a bellwether for the global economy. 

Copper prices hit 16-month lows as traders dumped the metal. 

"Copper prices are just starting to account for the fact that global growth is slowing," Daniel Ghali, director of commodity strategy at TD Securities, said.

The metal is used in many construction materials, including electrical wires and water pipes. That means it's often viewed as a proxy for economic activity. It's affectionately referred to as "Dr. Copper" among traders because of its alleged talent for prognostication.

Earlier this year, after Russia invaded Ukraine, the price of copper shot up, along with other major metals. But then, sanction on Russia inflamed more Inflation, rising interest rate to control inflation... Just a "Visious Cycle" thought

Oslo..

 

Terrified revellers at a gay bar in Oslo hid in a basement and desperately called loved ones as a gunman went on the rampage, killing two people and injuring more than 20 on the day the city was due to celebrate its annual Pride parade.

The attack took place in the early hours of Saturday, with victims shot inside and outside the London Pub, a longstanding hub of Oslo's LGBTQ scene, as well as in the surrounding streets and at one other bar in the center of the Norwegian capital.

Just a thought.

Draconian..

 

Census Bureau report shows which cities and towns have gained population and which have lost it. The data demonstrate that the states and cities that imposed the most draconian COVID-19 restrictions were very likely to lose population.  

What towns and cities gaining population generally have in common both before and during COVID-19 is that they generally live under laws made by Republicans. What towns and cities losing population have in common is that they generally live under Democratic rule.

It is hardly a coincidence that all 15 of the 15 fastest-growing cities and towns between July 2020 and July 2021 are in states that Republicans govern: Arizona, Texas, Florida, Tennessee, and Idaho. And 14 out of the 15 fastest-declining cities during the same period were in states that Democrats governed at the time.

COVID-19 helped bring out the totalitarian side of many state and city governments, driving away and keeping away many former and prospective residents. The Democratic states that were once the biggest draw (Colorado and Washington, a state with no income tax) dropped off the growth lists thanks to COVID-19.