The Chinese spy balloon; CA minimum wage hike already costing jobs...more

Top 10 COVID Events of the Year: Revealing the Facts Unspoken and Unknown

COVID-19 in 2023 has been full of revelations and controversy.

Most health leaders involved in the U.S. pandemic response have resigned or been replaced, with one leaving his agency with a study that received much fanfare for a somewhat controversial take on vaccines.

Compared to 2022, the science on the effectiveness and risks of masking and vaccinations has become increasingly clear with the release of highly authoritative studies this year.

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Armenian Christians attacked in Jerusalem, some in serious condition  

Armenian Christians in Jerusalem were violently attacked by more than 30 masked Arab Muslims in Jerusalem on Thursday.

“Armenian clerics in Jerusalem are fighting for their lives,” the Armenian Patriarchate told the Jerusalem Post.

Several of the Armenian priests were “seriously injured.”

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The Chinese spy balloon: what's a little national security breach between enemies?    Remember the Chinese spy balloon?  The one that flew the length of America while somehow mysteriously hovering over many sensitive military installations? The one that could not be shot down over Alaska, Montana or Wyoming, because it might land on a protected toad or snail? There’s not much else out there in large parts of the West. That Chinese spy balloon, the one as big as two buses, the one that was finally shot down over the Atlantic after it had gathered and transmitted to the Chinese all the data the Chinese Communist Party wanted? The one that insulted and humiliated America? That one? Oh yes, there were earlier balloons the government hid from us.

Now we discover we only know about that particular spy balloon because a few Americans, on commercial airliners, and on the ground, saw it and decided it was something about which Americans ought to know.

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California’s Minimum-Wage Hike Hasn’t Even Happened But It’s Already Killing Jobs  Already, with California’s looming minimum-wage tax on fast-food chains in the state, employers are tweaking costs by reducing hours, laying off workers and charging you more for that cheeseburger, fries and a drink that you crave.

Though the calendar says it’s still 2023, franchisees of the Pizza Hut chain have announced this week they’re laying off 1,200 drivers who used to deliver their piping-hot pies door-to-door. With the new higher wages, they can’t afford to keep drivers working.

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Biden Admin Spends Taxpayer Dollars On Ballroom Dancing Program To ‘Uplift Transgender’ Youth In Peru   Ballroom dancing for LGBTQIA+ youth in Peru isn’t the first LGBT program the State Department has supported.

The State Department funded an LGBTQ+ film festival in Portugal that showed movies depicting incest and a minor having sex with an adult. The department stood by its decision to support the festival, citing its support for “protecting and promoting the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons,” the Washington Free Beacon reported.

  

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Half the cargo ships that regularly use the Suez Canal are now avoiding it due to the risk of Iran-backed attacks There is also a drought that is affecting how many ships can pass through the canal. Flexport says this, combined with the Houthi attacks, might reduce global maritime shipping capacity by 20%.

For the globalized world, but especially for import-reliant nations like the United States, free and open oceans are essential for life.

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Life expectancy in the U.S. is now DROPPING in the aftermath of COVID-19 vaccines   Life expectancy has been declining in the U.S., and the timing coincides with the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines.

The average expected lifespan for Americans in 2021 was 76.4 years, which represents a drop of 0.6 from 2020. Men can expect to live an average of 73.5 years overall, while women's life expectancy is 79.3 years.

The leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2021 was heart disease, which is something that has been connected to COVID-19 vaccines.

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THE WEEK IN PICTURES: HAPPY NEW YEAR EDITION