Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a nice holiday. The PRC is back to work Tuesday from the New Year’s holiday. Today’s newsletter is a bit of a catchup from the last couple of weeks, no doubt there are some gaps. While official public data on the number of Covid infections since the government switched to its “dynamic let it rip” policy are useless, there is little doubt that hundreds of millions have been infected, and tragically many thousands have died, and many more are going to. Infections appear, emphasis on “appear”, to have peaked in some of the larger cities but there is always a lag between infections and serious illness and death, and cases appear to be just beginning to surge in rural areas.
I think by now there are enough numbered "optimizations," "establishes," and other such profundities so as to do a take off on "The Twelve Days of Christmas," with apologies to this carol. The first day being, "And Xi Jinping being carefree," or some such thing. Is the CCP leadership not aware of how ridiculous it appears to the world? The Century of Humiliation continues, now as that of self-humiliation. And now it's carping about travel restrictions?
Is anyone aware of an attempt to understand exactly how many "thousands" have died and are continuing to do so?
The government statistics are obviously complete bullshit, and the vast number of anecdotes suggesting that they're not even recording deaths, let alone causes thereof, are too numerous to dismiss.
I fear we won't even be able to determine whether Omicron is less lethal because of widespread pre-existing immunity or because it's innately less dangerous.
Not for decades, at least.
Because, as with a host of other recent challenges, good data and scientific research, no matter how desperately needed, must take a back seat to Xi's cult of personality.
I think by now there are enough numbered "optimizations," "establishes," and other such profundities so as to do a take off on "The Twelve Days of Christmas," with apologies to this carol. The first day being, "And Xi Jinping being carefree," or some such thing. Is the CCP leadership not aware of how ridiculous it appears to the world? The Century of Humiliation continues, now as that of self-humiliation. And now it's carping about travel restrictions?
Is anyone aware of an attempt to understand exactly how many "thousands" have died and are continuing to do so?
The government statistics are obviously complete bullshit, and the vast number of anecdotes suggesting that they're not even recording deaths, let alone causes thereof, are too numerous to dismiss.
I fear we won't even be able to determine whether Omicron is less lethal because of widespread pre-existing immunity or because it's innately less dangerous.
Not for decades, at least.
Because, as with a host of other recent challenges, good data and scientific research, no matter how desperately needed, must take a back seat to Xi's cult of personality.
A million kilowatts is 1 Gigawatt which is a more familiar unit. 65 GW of coal-fired capacity approved in 2022 is quite a bit.
Welcome back Bill, happy new year to you and fam. looking forward to your notes in 2023