BITCOIN, ISSEY AND OLIVIA

         From Worldometer (new  COVID-19 deaths yesterday):

DAY  USA  WORLD    Brazil    India    South Africa

June     9     1093     4732         1185        246       82

July    22      1205     7128         1293      1120     572

Aug    12      1504     6556        1242        835     130

Sept     9      1208      6222       1136       1168       82

Oct     21      1225      6849         571        703       85

Nov    25       2304    12025        620        518      118

Dec    30       3880    14748       1224       299      465

Jan     14       4142      15512        1151        189      712

Feb      3       4005    14265       1209       107      398

Mar      2       1989     9490        1726       110      194

April     6        906    11787         4211       631       37

May     4        853     13667        3025      3786     59 

June    1        287    10637         2346      3205      95

 July    7         251      8440        1595        817      411

Aug     4         656    10120        1118        532      423 

Sept   22      2228      9326          839       279     124

Oct      6       2102      8255          543       315       59

Nov    3        1436      7830         186        458       23

Dec     1       1633      8475          266        477       28

Jan     7        2025      6729         148         285     140

Feb     2        2990   12012          946        991      175

Mar     2        1778     7756          335         173       28 

Apr     1         439      4056         290         52        12

May    5         225      2404        151            ?        64 

June    2        216      1413          130          10        31 

July    7         320       1958        297          38         9 

Aug   4         311        2138          258          70         ? 

         10        429       2400        254          53         ?

Summary:

• Clearly, this pandemic isn't going away.
• Most new cases yesterday:
• #1      Japan  196,732
• #2      S. Korea  151,734
• #3      USA  95,530
• #4      Germany  59,888
• #5      Italy  31,699
• Most new deaths yesterday:
• #1      USA  429
• #2      Brazil  254
• #3      Japan  250
• #4      Germany  153
• #5      UK  148

The rollercoaster known as Bitcoin:

• Was at $68,990 in November of last year.  Dropped further to 47,733 on 1 January 2022.  Dropped below 20,000 on July 11, and yesterday, 24,332.  Thus, if you had sunk $10,000 into the stock in November, this would now be worth $3,526.
• Why?  The geopolitical situation is testy, with the Ukraine War, Pelosi in Taiwan and Europe in an energy crisis.  The Feds continued to increase their rate.
• Future?  Could just as well someday shoot up past $100,000.
• Anyway, according to NextAdvisor, only invest 5% of your investment portfolio to crypto.

I'm not into high fashion, but Issey Miyake, the fashion designer famous for his origami-like designs and cult perfumes, passed away.  His products are not uber-expensive, for that Pleats Please multicolor storm top below has been reduced to $359 from $520 by ShopStyle.  You want a cheap Bao Bao blue wring shoulder bag to the left?  $825, discounted from $1000+.

Heck, Louis Vitton since 2010 has had a trash bag purse for $2000.  And people buy them.  In my day I got Louis Vitton products on the streets of Taiwan for a few dollars.

In fact, my best watch I still use is a Charles Dior I bought in 1998, yes, on the streets of Taiwan, for less than $20 bucks.  And it kept good time for almost ten years, until I had to change the battery.  Taiwan made the best watch batteries, and I once visited their top producer about making auto batteries.  I've only changed my CD watch batteries three times in 24 years, and it keeps perfect time.  The photo to the left was taken this morning.  The exact same model is on sale on ebay for $331.83.  I think the CD outlet sold it way back then for about a thousand dollars.  Oh, that business card holder is by Louis Vuitton, bought for a couple of bucks.  Way back then, it sold for $75, and today for up to $400.  Of course, my purchases were all fakes, but they looked great and functioned well, if not exceptionally.

About Miyake, he lived to a ripe old age of 84 and in the 1980's was responsible for making turtlenecks popular.  That's him below.

Another star in passing this week was 73-year old Olivia Newton-John.  A nerd from Australia, she shot to fame in the 1978 Grease with John Travolta, and her Physical spent 10 weeks as #1 in 1981.  She suffered from breast cancer in 1992, thirty years ago, and slowly declined.  She was born in Cambridge, England, moved at a young age to Melbourne, Australia, but lived most her life in the USA.

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