Before getting into our environment, first a follow-up to my posting yesterday on the coming crisis associated with our Federal debt limit.  I saw this morning an article: Why the Debt Ceiling Matters and What Happens if Congress Refuses to Raise It Our $34.1 trillion debt limit will occur tomorrow, January 19.  To quote: “Failure to meet the government’s obligations would cause irreparable harm to the U.S. economy, the livelihoods of all Americans, and global financial stability,” Yellen wrote in her letter.   The U.S. has never defaulted for failing to raise the debt limit in time, which means the consequences are unpredictable, but economists agree they would be dire. A second digression, about our pandemic and why that feared new COVID-19 wave this winter has instead become a small bump.  From the  New York Times : Why? Because the U.S. population has, collectively, built up immunity to the virus. Much of that is thanks to vaccines and boosters. But repeated exposure to the virus a