Notes From All Over -- The Proud Grandfather Edition -- January 20, 2021

Pipeline permits: I obviously don't know the particulars but the headlines say that the new CEO/CIC has revoked the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline to cross the US/Canadian border (as expected). Wouldn't this be a hoot: continue with the Keystone XL south of the border and fill it with Montana and North Dakota oil and ship it south to US refineries and terminals. LOL. If the DAPL is shutdown, which is likely to be the next shoe to drop, then the Bakken can go to Plan B: Keystone XL south. LOL. 

Earnings reported today:

• Bank of New York Mellon: plunged after missing expectations.
• KMI: beats 4Q20 earnings and revenue estimates; 27 cents vs 24 cents; and $3.12 billion; beats estimates by almost 2%. Only once in the last four quarters has KMI beat estimates.
• UAL: shares drop about 3% after reporting record loss; CNBC tried to put a good face on this, but did not convince me; bullish analysts are counting on a Biden miracle;
• AA: shares drop a bit despite beating estimates; guidance not not assuring;
• PG: slips slightly after earnings; same ol' same ol';

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Hope Springs Eternal

Not gonna happen ... but if it happens ... wow ... think of the carbon footprint ... LOL .. and, of course ... the market ... I'm lovin' it.

Slow Covid vaccine distribution adds to Tokyo Olympics woes, The WSJ. 

Organizers of the Tokyo Olympics face a long list of obstacles as they attempt to carry off the postponed Games in six months—and the alarming rise in Covid cases around the world recently is only one of them. 

Potentially bigger hurdles include the need to speed up Covid-19 vaccinations globally and in the U.S. and convincing a skeptical Japanese public to accept vaccines and welcome thousands of visitors from around the globe. 

The International Olympic Committee and organizers in Japan last March delayed the Games from 2020 to 2021, a move that came about four months before the event was set to begin. They are now closing in on the same decision-making window for 2021, with last year’s problems still in play and a few new ones that have surfaced as the pandemic has continued.

Vaccinations—for the hosts, athletes and spectators—are a big topic.

Although Olympic organizers have said they won’t require vaccines for fans and athletes coming to the Games, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has said he wants almost everyone in Japan vaccinated by the Olympics’ July 23 start. Japan has secured enough vaccines to inoculate all of its population, though none has yet received local regulatory approval and the country hasn’t started vaccinations.

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Contests

The grandchildren never cease to amaze me.

Tonight in passing, our middle granddaughter, a freshman in high school, who is best known in the family for her scholastic achievements, artistic ability, and especially for her soccer playing, mentioned that she had just been notified by e-mail that she was a finalist in The New York Times photography contest. 

The link is to the "A Special Multimedia Contest for Teenagers in the US." 

So, we'll see.