How about this, a new Rink Rats only three days from our last – someone has too much time on their hands.
2022 BACK AT IT - Despite the Omicron
surge over the holidays, millions are gearing up to go back to work or school
Monday (today) — and no one is sure of what comes next.
Most of the nation’s largest school districts have decided to
forge ahead and remain open, at least for the time being. And the rising number
of cases has not yet been followed by a proportionate increase in
hospitalizations and deaths, though hospitalizations have increased in recent
days — a sign that the Omicron variant seems to cause fewer cases of severe
illness. But the highly contagious variant is still racing across the country,
and teachers, parents and workplaces are bracing for the impact.
In California, employees at all Los Angeles County public and
private schools will have to wear medical-grade masks at work and students and
staff must wear masks outdoors in crowded spaces under tightened rules issued
in anticipation of classes beginning Monday.
More than 85,000 cases were recorded in New York on New Years
Eve, the highest one-day total in the state since the pandemic began. The
number of positive test results represented roughly 22 percent of the total
tests reported by the state.
MAKE IT WORK - At the risk of reducing
your workplace woes in 2022, RR sampled last week professional New Year
resolutions that workers committed to accomplishing in the new year. Here are
some reader responses that may spark ideas for your personal 2022 playbook:
“Stop feeling guilty for taking time off.”—Kelly, CA
“Focus on one professional development area each month. Read a
biz book, keep up with national news, improve soft and hard skill sets, ask
more ‘why’ questions of my team.”— Alicia, Houston
“Own the problem and pick up the phone.”—Mike, Dallas
“Stop being available all hours of the day. Work and personal
life has completely blurred since being 100% remote.”—Marie, Chicago
“Don’t continuously scan for emails all day. Dedicate time to
read/respond so I can fully focus on other work.”—Jen, Brooklyn
“Review how the workweek went and plan the following week with
small changes that can improve it.”—Diana, Portugal
“Take 2–3 hours every Wednesday for a creative or restorative
activity.”—Caitlin, Seattle
“I’m making a New Year’s resolution to stop procrastinating,
but I think I’ll make it for next New Year’s.”—Jim, Maui
If you remember, this writer’s New Year resolution was to have
a hole-in-one this coming year.
Major events we will be looking out for in 2022:
Space: 2021 was monumental for the
space industry, from the James Webb telescope launch to Jeff Bezos spraying an
emotional William Shatner with champagne. But 2022 could top it.
NASA is launching two extremely powerful rockets as part of
its goal to send astronauts back to the moon in 2025.
SpaceX could launch its Starship rocket into orbit. It’s the
reusable spacecraft that will ferry NASA astronauts from their capsule to the
lunar surface and enable SpaceX's Mars ambitions.
Blue Origin, SpaceX, and Virgin Galactic will ramp up their
space tourism efforts by selling more joyrides to wealthy people. Virgin is
hoping to begin commercial service this year.
This cool-looking space plane, Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser,
could send cargo to the International Space Station.
Sports: 2022 will give us two big
international sporting events, each with plenty of geopolitical overtones.
Beijing will become the first city to host both a Winter and
Summer Olympics when the Winter games kick off there in February. The US and
some of its allies aren’t sending diplomats to the competition to protest the
Chinese government’s human rights abuses.
February 13, the Super Bowl will be held in Los Angeles for
the first time since 1993, when the Dallas Cowboys beat the Buffalo Bills,
30-13, in Super Bowl XXVII at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The Swami
likes the Packers vs. Chiefs.
The World Cup will oddly take place in November—because it’d
be way too hot to play soccer in host country Qatar during the summer. Many
critics have taken exception to Qatar hosting; the Gulf state has been accused
of mistreating migrant workers who built the soccer stadiums and of bribing
FIFA officials to secure the hosting rights in the first place.
New regulations: A slew of new state laws
are going into effect this year. The most notable? 26 states and Washington,
DC, will raise their minimum wages (CA and parts of NY will bump it up to at
least $15/hour).
Plus, a controversial new California law that requires more
living space for breeding pigs and other livestock took effect yesterday.
Critics argue the law will cause bacon prices to spike in CA—other researchers,
however, have said price increases would be modest.
Streaming: Netflix will look to rev up
last year’s sluggish growth with new seasons of its biggest hits, including Stranger
Things, Bridgerton, and The Crown. HBO will try to redeem the
unredeemable—Season 8 of Game of Thrones—with a prequel, House of the Dragon.
Amazon Prime Video will release its highly anticipated and uber-expensive Lord
of the Rings series, while Disney+ will supply us with more Marvel and Star
Wars content we’ve been so starved of.
Music: One of the highlights of the
year in music will definitely be ABBA’s Voyage concert in May, where the
Swedish pop legends will perform in a purpose-built London arena using digital
avatars. Good luck finding tickets.
We will also hopefully see the return of festivals like
Burning Man and Coachella, which have been canceled for the previous two years.
Some notable album releases: Lizzo, Mitksi, The Weeknd, Avril
Lavigne (!), and possibly Kendrick Lamar. And possibly Rihanna.
Global politics: South Korea, France,
Hungary, the Philippines, and Brazil are among the countries holding pivotal
elections this year. The US midterms will take place in November.
2022 TECH - The holidays are always a bit
extra hectic for tech reporters who cover CES, the massive tech trade show in
Las Vegas. In fact, it starts tomorrow with in-person media events, though we
decided to cover it remotely because of the recent surge in Covid cases. While
the event’s timing isn’t great, it gives us a chance to think about some of the
tech priorities we’ll be focusing on in the year ahead:
Smart home: After years of talking to our
speakers about setting timers and playing music, how will we get to the next
level, where devices respond to our needs even when we don’t enunciate them?
Sustainability: Lots of companies strike
green poses, but we’re starting to see real moves to build gadgets that last
longer and require less energy. Will we be able to resist upgrading our phones
every year or two?
Family tech: From new parental controls to
devices for monitoring the wellbeing of older loved ones, families can access
more tools to improve their lives together. The trick is identifying which tech
will provide truly meaningful assistance.
Metaverse: The hype cycle hasn’t been kind
to virtual reality, but the hardware and software are both improving rapidly.
This will be the year when we see it really take off—or fall into another
trough of disillusionment.
Cryptocurrency and NFTs: Yes,
it’s all still so…cryptic. But normal non-geeks will start to dabble in these
markets when the reasons for doing it become clearer, and the tools to do so
get easier and more prolific.
Social media: Will there be a
reckoning for social media in the year ahead? Not only are its harms to
children being scrutinized more closely, its ability to amplify information—and
misinformation—will once again be a key factor in our national elections.
JANUARY 6, 2021 - 705 people have been
arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 riot, and the FBI is looking for more.
Many cases have entered the punishment phase:
71 people have been sentenced for riot-related crimes. They
include a company CEO, an architect, a retired Air Force colonel, a gym owner, a
former Houston police officer and a University of Kentucky student.
31 defendants have been sentenced to prison or time already
served in jail, with terms ranging from 10 days to 63 months.
22 received sentences of three months or less.
56 of the 71 pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of
parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. Most were sentenced
to home confinement or jail terms of weeks or months.
Three rioters charged with assaulting police officers got
prison terms ranging from more than three years to just over five years.
A seemingly genuine display of contrition, before or during a
sentencing hearing, can help a rioter avoid jail. The judges often cite remorse
as a key factor in deciding sentences.
Many rioters have said they lost jobs and friends.
Thousands of hours of videos from surveillance cameras, mobile
phones and police body cameras captured them reveling in the mayhem. Many
boasted about their crimes on social media.
2022 SUPPLY CHAIN 101 - What
got us into this mess?
At the beginning of the pandemic, companies assumed demand
would drop sharply ... Instead, we shopped online and demand soared ... China
shipped PPE in containers that piled up around the world, when they were needed
in China ... U.S. ports seized up from all the incoming goods ... Shortages of
one thing turned into shortages of another ... Toyota's widely adopted
"just in time" model meant companies hadn't stockpiled parts and raw
materials. Typically, firms produce only as much inventory as they need to
satisfy short-term sales. It keeps costs low. They do not necessarily hold
excess inventory.
The second reason is the specialization of product lines. For
example, cars are being manufactured that consist of thousands of components.
Disruption in a supplier for a specific component — such as a small screw
somewhere in the car — may hold up production of the entire car.
And the third thing is outsourcing and globalization of
manufacturing. So a disruption in Taiwan, for example, affects our domestic
supply chain, as well.
What’s driving these trends?
A Typically, companies take the view of minimizing costs,
maximizing speed, maximizing efficiency and maximizing choice for consumers.
Costs are minimized by having very low “safety stocks,”
because carrying excess inventory is very costly. Maximizing speed and
efficiency means lean operations and just-intime manufacturing. Maximizing
choice for customers points to the specialization of the line. You can buy Nike
sneakers in a zillion colors.
These have big advantages, but they do have disadvantages.
At the beginning of the pandemic, shortages were mainly driven
by a surge in demand for products. Now, more of the problems originate from
problems with the supply chain.
Industries that have experienced the most disruption are those
with sustained demand and a high geographical concentration.
For example, the semiconductor industry is still experiencing
quite a bit of disruption. The demand for semiconductors has surged because
they’re used in many consumer products, such as cars. And the semiconductor
industry is very concentrated in two geographical regions, Taiwan and South
Korea. Manufacturing is done by only two companies.
The final thing, especially for the semiconductor industry, is
that the entry costs are very high. It’s not easy to decide tomorrow that you will
become a semiconductor manufacturer.
Products that are manufactured in the U.S. don’t face as much
disruption because they’re not subject to the shipping constraints.
But to be realistic, the outsourcing and the globalization of
trade cannot be easily reversed because of the advantages that it has.
Outsourcing led to much lower prices, due to much lower production costs.
Domestic manufacturing needs to be boosted in industries that
are of strategic concern for the U.S. Semiconductors are a good example. The
White House has some initiatives to invest heavily in the domestic
semiconductor industry to increase capacity.
It’s not likely that all manufacturing will be onshore. But
maybe we’ll see more in strategic industries.
Strategies - There is a trend toward diversification of the
supply chain, called dual sourcing. It’s “China plus one” — an alternative
supply source outside China.
But this takes time. Especially in China, there’s a lot of
investment, knowhow and infrastructure that makes operating there much easier.
Companies are trying to replicate the same infrastructure and the same
efficiency in countries such as India and Vietnam.
One way to prevent shortages could involve increasing “safety
stock” excess inventory.
Also, making production more flexible. If you have a simple
product line, and there is some disruption in one of your facilities, you can
conceivably ramp up production capacity in other facilities. It’s “reverse
specialization” — if you make your components more common across your product
lines, then it’s easier to deal with disruption.
It will take some time — maybe three or six months, probably
longer. Firms typically underestimate the investments needed to fix them. I
would guess the situation will not be back to normal before another year.
POLITICS 2022 - Welcome to the election
year.
The question on everyone’s mind right now is this: How bad
will it be for Democrats? Will the GOP simply recapture the House, as the
minority party typically does in the first cycle following one-party rule of
Washington? Or will this be a beefed-up version of 2010/2014, with a massive
Tea Party-like wave sweeping Republicans into power and flipping both chambers
of Congress?
Will Democrats have something new to campaign on, like a
slimmed-down version of Build Back Better? Or will The Other Joe With Veto
Power (Sen. JOE MANCHIN ) hold the line? And if the West Virginia senator caves
— and should Democrats muster support for some sort of social spending bill —
will it even matter to voters? Or will inflation and supply-chain concerns
continue to dominate voter fears and motivate ballot decisions, as they did in
2021?
And don’t forget the pandemic that was supposed to be under
control by now. How bad is this thing going to get in the coming weeks and
months — not only regarding infection rates and death, but in supercharging the
culture war? And what will the ongoing pandemic mean for Biden, his agenda and
the Democratic Party writ large?
One year after Jan. 6, and as redistricting resets the board,
Donald Trump’s loyalty tests could fracture or radicalize the GOP. Democrats’
inability to modify the filibuster or enact voting rights protections — along
with their own fractures and President Biden's sinking approval ratings — could
exile them from power come November.
2022 TALKING POINTS -
Business: The big story of the year is
going to be interest rates, both nominal and real. How far will the Fed hike
rates — and how negative will rates remain once you adjust for inflation? If
inflation remains high, even a series of rate hikes will leave real rates deep
in negative territory, reinforcing the impression that all central banks are
dovish these days.
Tech: Big Tech is likely to continue
to come under pressure from regulators and lawmakers around the globe, as well
as continued internal pressure from workers. A gridlocked Congress means states
and Europe are likely to take the lead on the legislative front.
Media: The media and entertainment
sectors continued to see a high volume of consolidation in 2021, pegged to the
rise of streaming. In 2022, we'll be looking at how those deals will shape the
streaming ecosystem. Most notably, we'll be watching the formation of a new
media giant through the combination of Discovery and WarnerMedia.
Work: Companies spent 2021 trying to
figure out what hybrid work would look like after the pandemic, but new
variants keep foiling their plans. The fallout is affecting everything from how
downtowns recover to the way we get around.
Health care: With improving vaccination
rates and the development of new anti-viral treatments, it's still possible the
pandemic will reach an "endemic" level — meaning the population has
gained some immunity, but the virus continues to circulate.
Energy: Be on the lookout for progress,
or lack thereof, in turning climate pledges into action. The Glasgow summit
capped a year heavy on new emissions-cutting commitments, but big steps to
transform them into reality are less certain. We'll also be watching emerging
science as crucial new IPCC reports roll out, and will track unrelenting extreme
weather and climate events.
Cities: Lagging foot traffic in
downtowns and lingering staffing shortages could forever change how local
business is done. Meanwhile, a greater emphasis on public transit and electric
vehicles could reshape how we get from point A to B.
World: 2022 will be a year of seismic
elections. In France, President Emmanuel Macron hopes to fend off the far
right. In Brazil, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro is fighting for survival.
Term limits mean new presidents will be elected in South Korea, Colombia, the
Philippines and Kenya — all before Americans go to the polls for midterms.
China: Will Beijing and Washington be
able to find a sustainable, peaceful way to manage their differences, or will
the world become locked into another great power struggle?
Race and justice: The 2022 midterms are
expected to focus on rising crime in cities, ongoing criminal justice reform
and voting rights. Conservatives have signaled they'll use diversity lessons in
classrooms and the quest for police reforms as wedge issues. But newly
energized voters of color, a growing electorate in the U.S., may stop this
backlash — if they get to the ballot box.
Gaming: Big console and PC game
publishers face a pivotal 2022, as the industry’s ocean liners try to offset
the swelling cost of making blockbuster games. We'll see more famous game
franchises pop up on mobile, and we just might learn whether the $2 billion +
invested in the controversial and unproven NFT gaming sector is a boom leading
to a bust.
BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK –
Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Katie Couric (65), Robert Duvall
(91), Bobby Hull (83), January Jones (43), Stephen Stills (77). A belated
birthday wish to Lennie McKinnon, we missed you in December.
MARKET WEEK - It’s the first week of 2022, a
manufactured clean slate of sorts for markets and investors …
Set those year-to-date return calculators back to zero — and
let us know what you’re watching most closely this year. 📝 Rink Rats investments
issue will be our next Blog, January 10.
Already, oil prices have slipped 11% since their highs in late
October, reflecting traders’ concern about slowing demand for fuel. The S&P
500 spent much of the past two months trading sideways, while some speculative
investments, such as shares of smaller, fast-growing tech companies, fell
sharply—hurt by fears that they would be especially vulnerable to tighter
monetary policies. Even so, lower valuations, together with an expanding
economy and ultralow interest rates, help explain why most Wall Street
forecasters predict the S&P 500 will continue to rise in 2022. Investors
also point to signs that each successive surge of Covid-19 has delivered a
smaller hit to the economy as people learn how to cope with the virus. Many
investors are also optimistic that inflation will subside this year, and some
argue that increases in Covid-19 cases are more likely to slow inflation than
accelerate it, meaning that the Fed could simply delay rate increases if the
economy endures a rough patch.
The S&P 500 recorded 70 closing highs in 2021, according
to S&P Global. That's the most for a single year since 1995's 77.
The index, widely considered a proxy for the broader market,
has recorded at least 10 closing highs every year since 2013.
Yes, but: Before 2013, the S&P 500 hadn't recorded a
single closing high since 2007.
Markets: The three major equity indexes begin 2022 near record
highs after closing out their best 3-year performance since 1999. We’ll have a
more in-depth stock market breakdown below.
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The 2021 stock market was bookended by meme stock mania in
January and a brief Omicron scare in November and December. But in between, it
was a remarkably smooth ride despite, you know, C***d.
The winners
If you followed Warren Buffett’s advice and put your money in
an S&P 500 index fund, you did very well for yourself last year. The broad
index gained 27% in 2021 and closed at a record 70 times—the most since 1995.
The top-performing S&P sectors: Energy, whose 48% annual
gain was its best ever (thank you, soaring oil prices). Real estate was the
second-best performing sector at 42%, while tech and financials both rose 33%.
The biggest winner in the S&P was Devon Energy, which
gained nearly 190%. Ford, Moderna, and nine others in the index more than
doubled their stock price.
So where are all the Big Tech names? They had a great but not
amazing year. Microsoft rose 51%, and Apple’s 34% gain has it sitting close to
a $3 trillion market capitalization. And by virtue of their immense size, Big
Tech stocks were the top six contributors to the S&P’s performance.
The losers
Smaller, high-growth tech stocks faltered—just look at the Ark
Innovation ETF, which declined 24% after shooting up 150% the year before. That
fund is home to companies like Roku, Twitter, DraftKings, and Palantir.
Many “stay-at-home” stocks that boomed at the onset of the
pandemic also fell back to Earth. Zoom lost nearly half of its value in 2021,
and Peloton plunged more than 75%. 2021 IPOs stumbled, too: A fund that tracks
public offerings fell more than 9% for its worst performance in three years.
What about next year?
Analysts see both opportunities and headwinds for the stock
market in 2022. Most forecasters expect stocks to continue their upward march
after corporations posted record profit growth in 2021 of 45%.
But analysts don’t expect stocks to surge as much as they did
last year, in part because the Fed is withdrawing its pandemic-era support to
curb the highest inflation in nearly four decades. The central bank is expected
to wind down its stimulus measures this quarter and begin to hike rates for the
first time since 2018.
5 Foods to Skip in 2022 Especially after 50 Years
of Age
Fried foods that triple the calories
If it helps, pause to imagine the vat of oil that basket of
fries or onion rings has been submerged in, and consider how its saturated fat
“may have a negative impact on blood cholesterol,” says Amy Gorin, a registered
dietitian and owner of Plant-Based Eats in Stamford, Connecticut. Not sure how
to cut back? Here are three expert tips:
1. Christine Rosenbloom, a registered dietitian and
nutritionist and coauthor of Food & Fitness After 50, says that because
frying tends to triple the calories in foods, you should invest in an air
fryer. (She swears by hers.)
2. Alicia Ines Arbaje, M.D., associate professor of medicine
at Johns Hopkins Medical School, says to save your fats for dinner and to avoid
them at breakfast and lunch.
3. Thomas Loepfe, M.D., a geriatrician at the Mayo Clinic,
says, “Go with grilled, not fried."
Sugary drinks, including most bottled teas
Soft drinks aren't your only enemy. Bottled teas, fancy coffee
drinks and “fresh” lemonades can all be loaded with the sweet stuff. “For
example, the 16-ounce chai latte at Starbucks, one of its most popular drinks,
has 42 grams of sugar,” Rosenbloom says.
With bottled drinks, beware of misleading labels. “Just
because a drink says ‘pure’ or ‘green tea’ or ‘honey’ doesn't mean it has less
sugar,” Rosenbloom says. And products touting their organic cane sugar, coconut
sugar or raw sugar? “Sugar is sugar,” she adds.
“Aim to keep added sugar intake to 10 percent or less of total
daily calories,” Gorin says. “For a 2,000-calorie daily diet, that would be no
more than 200 calories, or 50 grams of added sugar per day."
Packaged foods with sneaky sugars
"Hidden sugars can be found in pasta sauces, yogurt,
granola bars, instant oatmeal packets and breakfast cereals,” Allen says. Why's
that so harmful for older adults? “Excess sugar can put stress on organs such
as the pancreas and liver,” Allen says, “which can increase blood sugar and
blood triglyceride levels and raise the risk of fatty liver disease.”
Adds Loepfe: “Sugars increase one's risk of cardiovascular
disease and diabetes, the incidence and prevalence of which increase as we
age.” And at a time in life when every calorie should be nutrient-dense, “added
sugar really contributes to calories we don't need,” he says.
Check labels for added sugars — but don't fret over natural
sugars in fruits or milk.
High-sodium instant meals (think: frozen pizzas)
"Seventy-five percent of people over age 60 have high
blood pressure. And even if you're on medication, you want to lower your sodium
intake,” Rosenbloom says. If you think you're eating a low-salt diet because
you don't salt your grilled corn or soup, consider that frozen pizza or canned
soup you just heated up.
"Seventy-five percent of the salt in our diet comes from
processed foods, not the salt shaker,” she says. So what can you do? An easy
way to spot low-sodium foods, she notes, is to look for those in which sodium
is 5 percent or less of the daily value; anything in the 20 percent range is
high-sodium.
Aim for 1,500 to 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day.
Ultra-processed snacks
Unless you're picking an apple from a tree or getting your
milk straight out of a cow, most of the food you eat is processed — it's the
ultra-processed foods that make the list to strike from your diet. “Minimally
processed foods like bagged greens, diced vegetables and nuts offer
convenience,” Allen says. “And canned tomatoes and frozen fruit and vegetables
are an excellent way to enjoy produce processed at peak quality and
freshness."
But many ready-to-eat, processed foods like cake mixes, snack
chips, ketchup, sweetened yogurt and “meat lovers” frozen pizzas add food
coloring, sodium, preservatives and other hard-to-pronounce additives in order
to make consumers happy. And that's not good for you.
Many processed foods are void of fiber and nutrients like
potassium or magnesium, and they tend to be calorically dense, with a lot of
fat and salt, says Joseph Gonzales, a registered dietitian at the Mayo Clinic.
"And some of the preservatives, like nitrates, may be
harmful in high amounts, perhaps leading to premature aging of cells in the
body,” Loepfe says.
Make label-reading a habit. Better yet, cook at home.
TAX TIME - The third tax-filing season
during the coronavirus pandemic is set to begin soon with more delays,
uncertainty and frustration likely for taxpayers and tax preparers. There will
be some signs of business as usual. The individual tax deadline will return to
its usual mid-April date for the first time since 2019, and the IRS says it has
been steadily reducing its backlog of 2020 returns and other lingering
paperwork.
DRIVING THE WEEK - November construction
spending data released Monday … November Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey
results released Tuesday … Senate Banking Committee hearing on community
development financial institutions Wednesday … Federal Open Market Committee
minutes released Wednesday …
November trade data released Thursday … St. Louis Fed
President James Bullard speaks Thursday …December jobs report released Friday …
San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly and Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin
speak Friday.
The annual CES tech conference begins today in Las Vegas.
Omicron stopped some big exhibitors from attending, but more than 2,000
companies are expected to unveil innovations.
NFL SUNDAY - 11 of 14 postseason spots are
now filled, following playoff clinching wins by the Titans, Bengals, Patriots,
Bills and Eagles on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Chargers, Saints and 49ers kept
their hopes alive with victories.
State of play: Here's what the playoff picture looks like
ahead of tonight's Steelers-Browns game. (* = clinched)
AFC: 1. Titans* (11-5), 2. Chiefs* (11-5), 3. Bengals* (10-6),
4. Bills* (10-6), 5. Patriots*, 6. Colts (9-7), 7. Chargers (9-7) ... In the
hunt: Raiders (9-7), Steelers (7-7-1), Ravens (8-8).
NFC: 1. Packers* (13-3), 2. Rams* (12-4), 3. Buccaneers*
(12-4), 4. Cowboys* (11-5), 5. Cardinals* (11-5), 6. 49ers (9-7), 7. Eagles*
(9-7) ... In the hunt: Saints (8-8)
Ben Roethlisberger says tonight's game against the Browns (8:15pm
ET, ESPN) will likely be his final regular-season home game. And given the
Steelers' improbable playoff odds, it's likely his final home game, period.
Of note: ESPN2's "Manningcast" is stacked, with
guests including Bill Cowher, Roger Goodell, Snoop Dogg and Aaron Rodgers.
Lines: PIT -2 | O/U 42
2022 WEATHER CHANNEL -
Scientists expect even more menacing weather disasters in '22, after a year of
extreme climate, from the Pacific Northwest heat wave to the Texas cold snap.
This past year brought the uncomfortable realization that even
scientists' worst-case scenarios don't fully capture what the climate system is
already capable of.
Threat level: Some scientists who study extreme weather and
climate events see a concerning trend — extremes outpacing predictions.
Scrolling through a list of 2021's billion-dollar disasters in
the U.S. feels like a tour through the Book of Revelation.
Wildfires in the West were so intense and extensive that the
sky turned a milky white and orange ... in New York City.
Hurricanes defied the odds and intensified right up to
landfall.
Heat waves shattered records and killed hundreds.
In New York and New Jersey, three dozen died when heavy rains
flooded basement apartments.
Those disasters galvanized climate activists into pushing for
governments to slash emissions of greenhouse gas, but so far without success.
In the U.S., the most comprehensive and ambitious climate bill
to date is stuck unless President Biden and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) cut a
deal.
Globally, negotiators at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow
made frequent mentions of extreme events. But the Glasgow Climate Pact produced
no major breakthroughs.
TOP FIVE –
Men’s College Hockey Poll:
1. Minnesota
State
2. Quinnipiac
3. Michigan
4. Western
Michigan
5. Minnesota-Duluth
Women’s College Hockey Poll:
1. Wisconsin
2. Ohio State
3. Northeastern
4. Quinnipiac
5. Minnesota
2022 Golf Game Improvements (in priority order):
1. Change drink
choice at 19th hole
2. Irons
3. Driving
4. Scrambling
5. Putting
FROZEN FUN - Minus 5.7 degrees Fahrenheit.
That was the temperature at face-off of the 2022 Discover NHL
Winter Classic, making the St. Louis Blues' 6-4 win against the Minnesota Wild
at Target Field on Saturday the coldest game in NHL history.
"I was looking over my shoulder for a polar bear,"
Wild forward Marcus Foligno said. "That's how cold it was out there."
It was notably c-c-colder than the previous record-holder, the
first of the NHL's 33 modern outdoor games, when the Montreal Canadiens
defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in the Heritage Classic at Commonwealth
Stadium in Edmonton on Nov. 22, 2003. The record book says it was zero degrees
at face-off then.
But while the temperature was negative, the pluses outweigh
the minuses when it comes to outdoor hockey. That's especially true here in the
"State of Hockey," where it isn't just romantic but a part of real
life maybe more than anywhere else in the United States.
NHL outdoor games are meant to honor hockey's roots, and going
back to the beginning, the whole point of hockey is to make the best of the
winter, to turn something frozen into something fun.
2022 RETIREMENT CONGRATS – Rink
Rats would like to pass along a congratulations to Tony Mariano (St. Lawrence
’74) on his announcement of his upcoming retirement in the spring of 2022!
After competing for the Skating Saints (1971-74), Tony joined
Norwich University athletics and started an illustrious and impactful career as
a coach, Director of Athletics and most important – a tremendous mentor!
Congrats Tony you will soon be a member of RED, Retired Extremely Dangerous,
THE SWAMI’S WEEKEND PICKS –
NFL Football Pick of the Week – Sunday
1/9, 5:20 PM (PDT), NBC: Los Angeles Chargers (9-7) vs. Las Vegas Raiders
(9-7). The winner is on to the playoffs, the loser on to the casino. Chargers win 30 - 27.
NHL Pick of the Week –
Saturday 1/8, 7:00 PM (EDT), HNIC: Toronto Maple Leafs (21-8-2) vs. Colorado
Avalanche (21-8-2). Two top five power teams in the National Hockey League.
Possible Stanley Cup Final participants, but Leaf fans don’t get too excited.
Avs win 5 – 4.
College Hockey Pick of the Week – Friday
1/7, 7:07 PM (CDT), ESPN+: #9 Cornell University Big Red (9-3-1) vs. #5 North
Dakota Fighting Hawks 913-6-0). It will be chilly in Grand Forks, N.D. outside
this coming Friday, but even colder for the Big Red. Hawks win 6 – 2.
SCIAC Pick of the Week –
Women’s Basketball, Saturday 1/8, 4:00 PM (PDT), SCFY: California Institute of
Technology Beavers (5-5) vs. University of La Verne Leopards (8-3). Coach Jason
Pruitt has an entertaining women’s hoop team this season, they shoot from
anywhere. Leopards win this one in The Tents, 76 – 55.
Final 2021 Season to Date (51-37, .579)
Next Blog: 2022 Investment Blog
Until January 10, 2022 Adios.
Claremont, California
January 3, 2022
#XII-7-444
5,640 words, ten-minute
read
CARTOON OF THE WEEKEND – The New Yorker
RINK RATS POLL – 2022 …
___ I’m scared
___ Let’s make some money
___ Common sense
___ Good health
___ All of the above
QUOTE OF THE MONTH – “We
need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and
find out why they’re falling in.” – Desmond Tutu
Rink Rats is a blog
of weekly observations, predictions and commentary. We welcome your comments
and questions. Also participate in our monthly poll. Rink Rats is now viewed in
Europe, Canada, South America and the United States.
Posted at Rink Rats The Blog: First Published – May 3, 2010
Our Eleventh Year.
www.rhasserinkrats.blogspot.com
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