YES, MORE ON THE UKRAINE WAR

The Worldometer figure of COVID-19 deaths for the world is 6.2 million.  The World Health Organization has delayed a study which shows that this death figure should have been around 15 million at the end of last year.  India is contesting the report release because their 0.52 million deaths would be 4 million, or almost 8 times what they reported.  A researcher involved with this study indicated that 9 out of 10 deaths in Africa are not registered.  

World deaths total 60 million/year.  The two-year total is thus 120 million.  The currently reported number COVID-19 deaths therefore represent 5% of all deaths.  Using the coming WHO data, this percentage jumps to 12.5%.  

Every two years 2.7 million are killed in traffic-related accidents.  Thus there are 2.3 times more COVID-19 deaths than on the roadway, but 5.6 times more pandemic than vehicular deaths using the WHO information.

That's scary enough, but look at how people annually die, a graphic that separates heart disease and stroke:

More die from heart disease than anything else, at 9 million/year or 18 million/two years.  In any case, at the higher WHO COVID-19 death information, the pandemic would squeeze in as #2, dropping death by stroke from #2 to #3.  Thus, this pandemic has, indeed, been terrible.

The Ukraine War drags on, and most of the world's 195 countries occupy the messy middle.

• India and Israel, for example, are in this group.  
• India because it is the largest buyer of Russian weapons. They also abstained from the UN vote to condemn Russia.

The United Nations vote took place on March 2. Some countries did not formally submit votes. | Source: United Nations

• Israel needs Russian help in the Middle East.
• North Korea, Eritrea, Syria and Belarus voted with Russia in the UN vote.  Syria is also sending fighters to aid Russia.
• Half of Africa similarly abstained because they either depend on Russia for weapons or don't want to upset China.  Same for Bolivia and Vietnam.
• South Africa blamed NATO for the war.
• Brazil does not want to escalate the war, so is providing nothing.
• UAE, Saudi Arabia and Nicaragua, with autocratic leaders, worry about too much democracy.
• China enhances its geopolitical standing with this war, but has not actually contributed much to Russia.

Euromaidan Press of Ukraine showed this graphic a month ago.  

So, how many deaths in the Ukraine War?  If all depends of who is doing the reporting.  But as a rough estimate from varied sources:

• Civilians  2,000 to 24,000.
• Ukraine forces  1300 to 4000.
• Russia and allied forces  7,000 to 15,000.
• Americans  2.

You recently read about the Russia cruiser Moskva (left) sunk by Ukraine.  Again, it depends on who you ask as to how.  Said to be the Russian flagship in the Black Sea.  The Admiral Essen frigate was also damaged on April 4 and Saratov landing ship on March 24.  Ukraine reports that its missiles were the cause.  Russia insists the loss had nothing to do with Ukraine.

On land, Ukraine claims to have destroyed 680 Russia tanks.  Oryx, a military/intelligence blog, reports that Russia has lost 2000 armoured vehicles and 460 tanks.  Part of this fiasco has to do with bad driving, running out of fuel and mud. 

 The Rand Corporation said that 2700 tanks were deployed into Ukraine.  Why has Ukraine been so successful?

• 
  Help from the U.S. and Europe.  
• The U.S. suppled 2,000 anti-tank Javelin missiles (right) when the conflict began, and later sent 2,000 more.
• The Javelin is lightweight for soldier and civilian use, and the missile automatically guides itself to the target.  While the Russian tanks have reactive armour which absorbs the impact of missiles, the Javelins are fitted with two warheads.  One blows away the armour, and the second pierces the chassis.

• 
  100 Switchblade anti-tank drones were also sent by the U.S.
• The UK has sent other missiles to destroy Russian drones.
• No reliable report on Ukraine losses, although Oryx says Russian losses are from three to four times more than Ukraine.  Said to have 12,300 armoured vehicles, including 2550 tanks.  They are superior to Russian tanks.  While only some were sent into Ukraine, Russia has 30,122 armoured vehicles and 12,4000 tanks.
• China has 45,000 armoured vehicles, while the U.S. has 35,000.

There are 73,000 tanks in the world  However, not all tanks are created equal.  #1 is the German Leopard 2A7 ($15 million each, left) and #2 the South Korean K2 Black Panther ($7.5 million).  The #5 rated tank is the Russian Armata ($4 million), which has not been sent to Ukraine.  The American Abrams Tank is up there, but first appeared 43 years ago, and most of our allies like Saudi Arabia and Australia use them.

If you're wondering why airpower has been minimal, and losses low, the reason apparently has to do with the potential effectiveness of surface-to-air missiles on both sides.  Russia has 300 military aircraft around the borders of Ukraine, but has hardly used them.  Ukraine is a lot less capable, they don't want to lose them.  As a result, there is a kind of stalemate in the air.  The U.S. does not want to enter this area of warfare for fear of escalating the war.  Various European countries are supplying Ukraine with air defense rockets.

Here is something somewhat scandalous, but memorable nevertheless:

A warmhearted moment...or fishy?  Peter Donegan got selected by Sir Tom Jones for his team.  

One critic joked:  The Tom Jones and Peter Donegan moment was fabulous and utter TV gold, and so well rehearsed.  The UK also has The Voice, if you're a bit confused.

Tom Jones, incidentally, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2006.  You know him for It's Not Unusual, What's New, Pussycat?, Green, Green Grass of Home and Delilah from the 1960s  His gigs in Las Vegas were known for female fans throwing their underwear onto the stage, giving Jones a philandering reputation.  The reality was that he married his high school sweetheart in 1957, and they stayed together until 2016 when she passed away.  Their only son not only manages him, but helped his father start a new late career.

Peter's dad, Lonnie Donnegan, wrote that hit song for Jones in 1967, Never Gonna Fall in Love Again.  Lonnie, who passed away in 2002, was himself known as the King of Skiffle, sort of the 50's folk genre influenced by blues and jazz.  Surely you've heard his Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour?

-