Oops! Media Caught in Another Lie
The idea that the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have less of a backup, which has been reported in the media, turns out to be a clever lie which appears to make the Biden administration look like it is successfully addressing the supply chain problems. Instead of bunching up the ships in the immediate area, where they can be seen from shore, many ships are now waiting between 40 and 400 miles away from the ports. Just because they can’t be seen doesn’t mean they aren’t there, but it makes it more difficult to show pictures of the backlog.
Supply Chain SNAFUs in the News
Numerous articles of late showing that the supply chain problem not only continues but shows no sign of improving. First, we have this article on how much trouble GM has building and shipping vehicles, which states, “So many unknowns dog the supply chain that any semblance of normalcy remains far off.” Then we have a story on the bicycle industry which saw an increase in sales during the COVID-19 outbreak, but now is having trouble sourcing parts, from brake pads to handlebars. According to the article, “The average selling price of a new bicycle in the U.S. in September was $346, up 28% compared with 2020 and 54% higher than the average selling price of a bicycle in 2019”
Omicron in the U.S.
After cropping up a couple days ago in California, and then in Minnesota and Colorado, five cases of this new variation of COVID were reported Thursday in the New York metropolitan area. According to the New York City health commissioner, the patients have not been to South Africa lately, meaning the new variation is in the community and spreading. So far, most cases have been in vaccinated people and are reportedly mild.
A doctor in Singapore told CNBC “omicron will dominate and overwhelm the world in three to six months” and by the time they create a vaccine targeting it “practically everyone will be infected” because of its high transmission rate. By now, we know that while the virus can be dangerous, the real problem is how governments react to the disease. He does not address whether the new variation will be less lethal.
