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Thursday, May 13, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Colonial Pipeline Is Flowing Again


The Colonial Pipeline got up and running yesterday at about 5 p.m. although the company says it will take several days for the supply chain to get back to normal. The 5,500-mile pipeline supplies about half of the gasoline, diesel fuel, heating oil and jet fuel used by most of the Southern states and the East Coast. A Russian ransomware attack forced it offline last Friday.


➤CONSUMER PRICES RISE 4.2%: Consumer prices rose 4.2 percent in April over the year before. That was even worse than expected. The increase in the Consumer Price Index is the biggest in 12 years. Government economists insist that the price increases will settle down later this year. They say the main cause is the reopening of the economy.

Here's what we're paying more for:
  • The average gasoline price rose 49.6 percent.
  • Fuel prices are up 37.3 percent.
  • Used car and truck prices are up 10 percent.
  • Food prices were up 0.4 percent.
  • Prices for housing, lodgings, airline tickets, car insurance and furniture all rose.

➤STOCKS REEL AT INFLATION REPORT: Wall Street really did not appreciate that report of a 4.2 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index. The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 681 points to close at 33,588. The Standard & Poor's Index dropped 89 points to 4,063. It was the worst day for the stock market since January.


➤ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN VIOLENCE ESCALATES: The cross-border fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants is worsening. Israeli forces bombarded Gaza with dozens of airstrikes overnight. Palestinian forces responded with waves of rockets aimed at Tel Aviv and other targets in Israel. Street violence between Jewish and Arab mobs have been reported in several towns and cities, according to The New York Times.

NY Post 5/13/21


➤LIZ CHENEY PURGED FROM GOP LEADERSHIP: Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney was removed from her Republican Party leadership role in the House of Representatives yesterday, as expected. The voice vote came the day after a speech by Cheney in which she refused to repudiate her vote to impeach former President Donald Trump or tone down her criticism of his continued insistence that he really won the election.
  • In his new blog, the former president dismissed Representative Cheney as "a bitter, horrible human being" who has "no personality" and is a warmonger.

➤WHERE THE WEALTHY ARE FLEEING: We knew that many affluent Americans fled the big cities when the pandemic kicked in, but where did they go? To smaller cities including San Antonio and Salt Lake City, according to a new report from real estate company Coldwell Banker. Denver and Dallas are also on the hot list, and Phoenix is a big destination for those fleeing California. Unmoored from the office, home buyers looked for bigger houses and quieter communities.

➤VAX-A-MILLION, OHIO: Ohio Governor Mike DeWine knows how to draw a crowd to a vaccination site. He announced that his state will give away a $1 million price every week for five weeks to an Ohioan who has gotten the COVID-19 vaccine. In a separate sweepstakes drawing, five teenagers who have been vaccinated will receive full college scholarships. To be eligible, you must be 18 or older and have been vaccinated before the drawing. The first prize will be drawn May 26.

➤BLAME THOSE SLACKER ROOSTERS: Chicken has been in short supply lately and many reasons have been cited, including the increasing popularity of fast-food chicken sandwiches. But here's a new one: Tyson's says its roosters just aren't up to the job. The giant chicken processor replaced its roosters with a different breed that frankly has proved to be a disappointing performer. A decline in chick hatchings ensued. The company has fired its rooster crew and is hiring its former stalwart.

🐶STUDY: PETTING A DOG ON A REGULAR BASIS CAN ‘SIGNIFICANTLY’ REDUCE ANXIETY AND ENHANCE THINKING SKILLS IN STRESSED STUDENTS:  Regularly petting dogs can really help lower stress levels. Washington State University researchers found that stress management programs that utilized therapy dogs were most effective for struggling students. Specifically, students who completed a four-week-long program with animal therapy were found to have improved cognitive skills that persisted for at least four weeks. Human-animal interaction expert and study leader Patricia Pendry says, “This study shows that traditional stress management approaches aren’t as effective for this population as programs that focus on providing opportunities to interact with therapy dogs. […] The results were very strong. […] when you’re looking at the ability to study, engage, concentrate and take a test, then having the animal aspect is very powerful. Being calm is helpful for learning especially for those who struggle with stress and learning.”


🎧STUDY..PEOPLE WHO DRIVE WEARING HEADPHONES ARE MORE THAN FOUR SECONDS SLOWER TO IDENTIFY ROAD HAZARDS:  Wearing headphones while riding a bicycle or while driving is really not a good idea. Ford conducted an experiment, and found that cyclists and drivers were four seconds slower to identify potential road hazards when wearing headphones. Ford is now letting the public try out the virtual experience themselves using their smartphones. It’s called Share The Road: Safe and Sound, and uses “8D” audio, a new sound technology that makes our brains think audio is constantly moving and coming from different directions. This issue is that wearing headphones causes a reduction in the vehicle and roadway sounds the driver can hear, and leads to the driver underestimating vehicle speed—this happened in both a lab setting and on the road, when driving during both day and night.

🚘AAA..MEMORIAL DAY TRAVEL TO INCREASE 60% IN 2021 COMPARED TO LAST YEAR: The American Automobile Association (AAA) is predicting that Memorial Day will see increased highway activity this year. AAA Travel predicts that more than 37 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home over the holiday weekend (May 27th-May 31st)—which is 60 percent more than last year when just 23 million Americans traveled for Memorial Day weekend. The “significant rebound” in travel is expected because more Americans are getting the COVID-19 vaccine and because the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated its travel guidance saying that fully vaccinated Americans can safely travel around the country. It’s predicted that of the 37 million Americans expected to travel Memorial Day weekend, 34.4 million will travel by car (12 million more than last year), 2.5 million will fly (nearly six times more than last year), and about 237,000 will take a bus, train, or cruise. The AAA also noted in its report that its estimation could be impacted by last minute decisions related to COVID-19 case numbers and variants or significant progress in the vaccine rollout in the coming weeks.


😭CRY THIS OFTEN, ACCORDING TO SCIENCE:  Crying is one of those things many of us are taught not to do, but there are benefits to doing so. Cognitive neuroscientist and mental health researcher Dr. Caroline Leaf says prolactin, one of the main chemicals released into our bodies when we cry, is the same one activated in mothers when they breastfeed. She says it’s released “in response to negative and positive stress, and may help us manage our stress response.” She says that crying also: releases chemicals which can make us feel calm and more in control; may help us restore balance in the brain and body; and may help one’s ability to think. Also, science has found that crying emotional tears literally helps get stress hormones out of the body. So how often should we be crying? Whenever we feel we need to. But if crying is uncontrollable to the point that it interferes with your normal daily function, it can be a sign of a deeper problem.

 🏈2021 NFL SEASON IS ON THE HORIZON: The Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers will meet the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 of the 2021 NFL regular season on Thursday, September 9th. That Sunday's lineup will feature the Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Rams. On Monday, the Las Vegas Raiders will host the Baltimore Ravens. This is just a sneak peak of Week 1:

➤THE WORLD'S HIGHEST PAID ATHLETE IS… In a year when pro sports were practically dormant, Irish mixed martial arts artist Connor McGregor managed to make $180 million, according to Forbes. That made him the highest paid athlete in the world for the last 12 months, and he didn't even have to fight for it. Most of the money came from the sale of his whiskey business to Proximo Spirits. Argentinian pro soccer player Lionel Messi ranked second at $130 million, and Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo was third at $120 million. The highest-ranked American on the list, at number four, was Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, at $107.5 million. Prescott was on the injured list for most of the season but still won a four-year extension in March.

🎾SERENA WILLIAMS SUFFERS A LOSS: Serena Williams was blown out of the Italian Open yesterday with a second-round defeat to newcomer Nadia Podoroska. Williams lost 7-6 (8/6), 7-5 to the 44th-ranked Argentine player. It was Williams' 1,000th Women's Tennis Association game.

🏀OLADIPO OUT FOR THE SEASON: Victor Oladipo of the Miami Heat is out for the season after just four games. He needs surgery on his right quad tendon. He probably won't be coming back. He'll enter the offseason as a free agent.

🏒RANGERS FIRE COACH: New York Rangers head coach David Quinn has been fired after only three seasons, along with two of the team's three assistant coaches. The team president and general manager were booted only a week ago. The new general manager, Chris Drury, is in charge of the search for a replacement coach.
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