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Dial H For Hero's Journal
March 4, 2022
The CDC has relaxed its masks recommendations, but masks are still required on airplanes and in airports until at least March 18. What happens after that?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) eased its mask guidance late last week, noting that more than 70 percent of the U.S. population no longer needs to wear masks indoors since, at press time, they were in counties where there was a low or medium risk of COVID-19 exposure, transmission, and hospitalization.
“We want to give people a break from things like mask wearing when our levels are low and then have the ability to reach for them again, should things get worse in the future,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a February 25 media briefing addressing the changes.
She explained that under the new framework, the CDC will evaluate factors that include the severity of disease, hospitalizations, and hospital capacity (not just COVID case numbers) to determine whether the level of COVID-19 and severe disease are low, medium, or high in any given community. Only when counties are at the high level does the CDC recommend that everyone wear a mask in indoor public spaces, regardless of vaccination status. The agency has released an interactive map that details the level of each county at any given time.
(excerpt)
How Long Will Masks Be Required on Airplanes?
https://www.afar.com/magazine/airline-mask-mandateThe CDC has relaxed its masks recommendations, but masks are still required on airplanes and in airports until at least March 18. What happens after that?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) eased its mask guidance late last week, noting that more than 70 percent of the U.S. population no longer needs to wear masks indoors since, at press time, they were in counties where there was a low or medium risk of COVID-19 exposure, transmission, and hospitalization.
“We want to give people a break from things like mask wearing when our levels are low and then have the ability to reach for them again, should things get worse in the future,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a February 25 media briefing addressing the changes.
She explained that under the new framework, the CDC will evaluate factors that include the severity of disease, hospitalizations, and hospital capacity (not just COVID case numbers) to determine whether the level of COVID-19 and severe disease are low, medium, or high in any given community. Only when counties are at the high level does the CDC recommend that everyone wear a mask in indoor public spaces, regardless of vaccination status. The agency has released an interactive map that details the level of each county at any given time.
(excerpt)
March 4, 2022
A new report says airfares rose 33% in mid-February as oil prices surged, yet travel demand continues to be strong as pandemic travel restrictions diminish.
Fare data compiled by Cowen COWN analyst Helane Becker said published fares gained 33% week over week and 42% year over year in the week ending Feb. 21.
Becker tracks 278 domestic routes across four fare products for American, Delta and United. She said the mid-February increase was driven primarily by increases in United minimum business fares, which skew towards business travelers because the fares are refundable, purchases are made within three days and they include no minimum stay.
Oil prices rose Tuesday as the crisis in Ukraine continued. May Brent crude futures hit an intraday high of $104.65. Before the Ukraine invasion, the last time oil prices traded at $100 was 2014. Prices have climbed steeply since 2020, when they averaged about $39 a barrel.
(Excerpt)
Bear in mind that the article only discusses prices as of a couple of weeks ago or so. One can only imagine what will happen if oil keeps going up as it has been lately. I’m really glad I’ve already locked in the prices for my upcoming trips in the next couple of months.
High Oil Prices Push Some Airline Ticket Prices Up 33%, But Travel Demand Remains
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tedreed/2022/03/01/air-fares-rose-33-in-mid-february-but-travel-demand-remains-strong/amp/A new report says airfares rose 33% in mid-February as oil prices surged, yet travel demand continues to be strong as pandemic travel restrictions diminish.
Fare data compiled by Cowen COWN analyst Helane Becker said published fares gained 33% week over week and 42% year over year in the week ending Feb. 21.
Becker tracks 278 domestic routes across four fare products for American, Delta and United. She said the mid-February increase was driven primarily by increases in United minimum business fares, which skew towards business travelers because the fares are refundable, purchases are made within three days and they include no minimum stay.
Oil prices rose Tuesday as the crisis in Ukraine continued. May Brent crude futures hit an intraday high of $104.65. Before the Ukraine invasion, the last time oil prices traded at $100 was 2014. Prices have climbed steeply since 2020, when they averaged about $39 a barrel.
(Excerpt)
Bear in mind that the article only discusses prices as of a couple of weeks ago or so. One can only imagine what will happen if oil keeps going up as it has been lately. I’m really glad I’ve already locked in the prices for my upcoming trips in the next couple of months.
March 4, 2022
Americans can expect increasing pain at the pump as rising oil costs — along with rising demand and a reduction in supply — continue to push up prices at gas stations across the U.S. That spike is unlikely to ease anytime soon as Russia's war with Ukraine intensifies, experts say.
The current national average price of gas has soared to $3.78 a gallon, jumping 20 cents in the last week alone, according to Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. Fuel costs are up roughly a dollar from a year ago, industry data show, a blow for millions of Americans grappling with a broad increase in inflation.
In U.S. states with the priciest fuel, motorists already are paying nearly $4.50 a gallon, according to price tracker GasBuddy.
De Haan, tweeted on February 28 that the average gas price in some U.S. cities will reach $5 a gallon "in the next couple of weeks."
(Excerpt)
The station nearest me was $3.04 just a week ago. Today it's $3.75.
Americans should get ready for $5 a gallon gas, analyst warns
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gas-prices-5-dollars-gallon-russia-ukraine-oil/Americans can expect increasing pain at the pump as rising oil costs — along with rising demand and a reduction in supply — continue to push up prices at gas stations across the U.S. That spike is unlikely to ease anytime soon as Russia's war with Ukraine intensifies, experts say.
The current national average price of gas has soared to $3.78 a gallon, jumping 20 cents in the last week alone, according to Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. Fuel costs are up roughly a dollar from a year ago, industry data show, a blow for millions of Americans grappling with a broad increase in inflation.
In U.S. states with the priciest fuel, motorists already are paying nearly $4.50 a gallon, according to price tracker GasBuddy.
De Haan, tweeted on February 28 that the average gas price in some U.S. cities will reach $5 a gallon "in the next couple of weeks."
(Excerpt)
The station nearest me was $3.04 just a week ago. Today it's $3.75.
March 3, 2022
What's the oldest object of any kind in your home?
In my case, I recently purchased an authenticated Japanese wakizashi (short sword) that was made in approximately 1450 A.D.
March 2, 2022
Dammit.
Ukraine Live Updates: First Key Southern City Falls, Ukrainian Officials Say
Source: New York Times
Russian troops seized the strategically important city of Kherson, Ukrainian officials said, in a significant moment in the battle for the country’s south. Explosions struck the capital, Kyiv, and Russian troops continued to lay siege to Kharkiv.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/02/world/ukraine-russia-war
Dammit.
March 1, 2022
After four days of fighting, the Russian military is bogged down in Ukraine. In part this is due to the valiant resistance of Ukraine’s army and civilian defense forces. But it’s also due to the fact that the Russian army just isn’t very good.
News reports, tweets, videos, and emails from the battlefields show Russia’s armored vehicles abandoned for lack of fuel, its soldiers foraging for food, its transport planes shot out of the sky, its various military elements—tanks, infantry, aircraft—unable to coordinate their aims.
Michael Kofman, a military analyst at CNA, an Arlington, Va.-based think tank, who has been following the battle closely, tweeted Sunday late afternoon, “It’s taken me a while to figure out what [the Russian military is] trying to do, because it looks so ridiculous and incompetent.” B.A. Friedman, a military historian and tactician, went further: “This isn’t a good army executing a bad plan. It isn’t a good army executing outdated or out-of-context tactics. It’s a bad army!”
None of this should be overstated. Four days of fighting might seem an eternity when viewed through the prism of round-the-clock cable news, but, in retrospect, a month from now, it will seem like the blink of an eye. Even the best armies take a while to get going. That said, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been particularly sluggish and flawed.
(Excerpt)
No, You're Not Imagining It: Russia's Army Is Inept
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/no-you-re-not-imagining-it-russia-s-army-is-inept/ar-AAUqQkD?ocid=msedgntpAfter four days of fighting, the Russian military is bogged down in Ukraine. In part this is due to the valiant resistance of Ukraine’s army and civilian defense forces. But it’s also due to the fact that the Russian army just isn’t very good.
News reports, tweets, videos, and emails from the battlefields show Russia’s armored vehicles abandoned for lack of fuel, its soldiers foraging for food, its transport planes shot out of the sky, its various military elements—tanks, infantry, aircraft—unable to coordinate their aims.
Michael Kofman, a military analyst at CNA, an Arlington, Va.-based think tank, who has been following the battle closely, tweeted Sunday late afternoon, “It’s taken me a while to figure out what [the Russian military is] trying to do, because it looks so ridiculous and incompetent.” B.A. Friedman, a military historian and tactician, went further: “This isn’t a good army executing a bad plan. It isn’t a good army executing outdated or out-of-context tactics. It’s a bad army!”
None of this should be overstated. Four days of fighting might seem an eternity when viewed through the prism of round-the-clock cable news, but, in retrospect, a month from now, it will seem like the blink of an eye. Even the best armies take a while to get going. That said, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been particularly sluggish and flawed.
(Excerpt)
February 28, 2022
(Bloomberg) -- Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced plans for a massive boost in defense spending in the latest historic policy shift in Germany triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Germany will channel 100 billion euros ($113 billion) this year into a fund to modernize the military, Scholz said Sunday in a speech to a special session of the lower house of parliament. By 2024, the government will spend at least 2% of gross domestic product each year on defense, he added, in line with a NATO target that Berlin has consistently failed to meet.
Scholz had been widely criticized by opponents and allies alike in recent weeks for what they perceived as dithering and weakness in the face of Russia’s mounting aggression toward Ukraine. In the past few days he has announced a series of radical changes to long-entrenched German policies following the full-scale attack ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the former Soviet republic.
Even before the invasion, Scholz halted the certification process for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline built to bring more of the Russian gas his country heavily relies on. On Saturday, he abandoned Germany’s traditional rejection of supplying weapons to conflict zones and gave way on expelling Russian banks from SWIFT, the system used for trillions of dollars worth of transactions between thousands of banks around the world. The willingness to supply Ukraine with military equipment including surface-to-air missiles and anti-tank weapons is in many ways the most dramatic move.
(Excerpt)
Germany to Boost Military Spending in Latest Historic Shift
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/germany-to-lift-defense-spending-in-latest-historic-policy-shift/ar-AAUmFTc(Bloomberg) -- Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced plans for a massive boost in defense spending in the latest historic policy shift in Germany triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Germany will channel 100 billion euros ($113 billion) this year into a fund to modernize the military, Scholz said Sunday in a speech to a special session of the lower house of parliament. By 2024, the government will spend at least 2% of gross domestic product each year on defense, he added, in line with a NATO target that Berlin has consistently failed to meet.
Scholz had been widely criticized by opponents and allies alike in recent weeks for what they perceived as dithering and weakness in the face of Russia’s mounting aggression toward Ukraine. In the past few days he has announced a series of radical changes to long-entrenched German policies following the full-scale attack ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the former Soviet republic.
Even before the invasion, Scholz halted the certification process for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline built to bring more of the Russian gas his country heavily relies on. On Saturday, he abandoned Germany’s traditional rejection of supplying weapons to conflict zones and gave way on expelling Russian banks from SWIFT, the system used for trillions of dollars worth of transactions between thousands of banks around the world. The willingness to supply Ukraine with military equipment including surface-to-air missiles and anti-tank weapons is in many ways the most dramatic move.
(Excerpt)
February 27, 2022
The US for the first time approves the direct delivery of Stinger missiles to Ukraine as part of a package approved by the White House on Friday.
The exact timing of delivery is not known, but officials say the US is currently working on the logistics of the shipment. The officials agree to discuss the development only if not quoted by name.
The decision comes on the heels of Germany’s announcement that it will send 500 Stinger missiles and other weapons and supplies to Ukraine.
The high-speed Stingers are very accurate and are used to shoot down helicopters and other aircraft. Ukrainian officials have been asking for more of the powerful weapons.
(Excerpt)
US to send anti-aircraft Stinger missiles to Ukraine
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/us-to-send-anti-aircraft-stinger-missiles-to-ukraine/The US for the first time approves the direct delivery of Stinger missiles to Ukraine as part of a package approved by the White House on Friday.
The exact timing of delivery is not known, but officials say the US is currently working on the logistics of the shipment. The officials agree to discuss the development only if not quoted by name.
The decision comes on the heels of Germany’s announcement that it will send 500 Stinger missiles and other weapons and supplies to Ukraine.
The high-speed Stingers are very accurate and are used to shoot down helicopters and other aircraft. Ukrainian officials have been asking for more of the powerful weapons.
(Excerpt)
February 26, 2022
Not familiar with source.
Reports of heavy fighting, loud explosions in Kyiv.
https://twitter.com/TheInsiderPaper/status/1497383384552718344Not familiar with source.
February 25, 2022
Want to help Ukraine? You can literally put your money where your mouth is.
I just did. You can make a direct donation to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine:
Link to the National Bank of Ukraine’s fundraising account to support the armed forces of Ukraine:
https://ukraine.ua/news/donate-to-the-nbu-fund/
The web page contains the necessary info to make a money transfer in USD, GBP, EUR or UAH to bank accounts in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, or Ukraine.
An alternative bank account of the Ukrainian government is listed at:
https://ukraine.ua/news/support-the-armed-forces-of-ukraine/
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Member since: Mon Apr 20, 2020, 11:25 AMNumber of posts: 2,971