Dreo Space Heaters for Indoor Use, Electric Heater with Remote for Bedroom Large Room, 2022 Upgraded 1500W Fast Heating with Thermostat

This is killer.

See, Dreo Space Heaters for Indoor Use, Electric Heater with Remote for Bedroom Large Room, 2022 Upgraded 1500W Fast Heating with Thermostat.

Dreo 2022 Upgraded Oscillating Space Heater

Winter is coming.

See, Dreo 2022 Upgraded Oscillating Space Heater, Fast Quiet Portable Heater, with Tip-over & Overheat Protection, Remote, 12H Timer, LED Display, Touch Control, Metal Electric Heater for Office Indoor Use.

BONUS: Ceramic Space Tower Heater - 1500W Electric Portable Heater with Thermostat, Fast Quiet Heating Features Built-in 12H Timer, Oscillating Heater with Remote for Office Bedroom Desk and Indoor Use.

North Face Men's Insulated Jacket

Get ready for the cold.

Here, The North Face Men's Aconcagua Insulated Jacket.

Also, The North Face Men’s Bedford Down Parka.

Surging American Demand Ripples Through the Global Economy

The economy is expected to grow at an annualized rate of 7 percent for the fourth quarter, but big numbers won't help the White House. Voters are really souring on this administration, most likely from relentless inflationary pressures, felt everyday at the gas pumps especially. 

At WSJ, "Booming U.S. Economy Ripples World-Wide":

FRANKFURT—A booming U.S. economy is rippling around the world, leaving global supply chains struggling to keep up and pushing up prices.

The force of the American expansion is also inducing overseas companies to invest in the U.S., betting that the growth is still accelerating and will outpace other major economies.

U.S. consumers, flush with trillions of dollars of fiscal stimulus, are snapping up manufactured goods and scarce materials.

U.S. economic output is set to expand by more than 7% annualized in the final three months of the year, up from about 2% in the previous quarter, according to early output estimates published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. That compares with expected annualized growth of about 2% in the eurozone and 4% in China for the fourth quarter, according to JPMorgan Chase.

Major U.S. ports are processing almost one-fifth more container volume this year than they did in 2019, even as volumes at major European ports like Hamburg and Rotterdam are roughly flat or lag behind 2019 levels. The busiest U.S. container ports are leaping ahead of their counterparts in Asia and Europe in global rankings as volumes surge, according to shipping data provider Alphaliner.

In Europe, “durable goods consumption is showing nothing like the boom that is ongoing in the United States,” said Fabio Panetta, who sits on the European Central Bank’s six-member executive board, in a speech last month. Consumption of durable goods has surged about 45% above 2018 levels in the U.S., but is up only about 2% in the eurozone, according to ECB data.

Factory gate prices in China are far outpacing consumer prices, signaling a gulf between weak domestic demand and strong overseas demand that is powered in particular by U.S. hunger for China’s manufactured goods.

While tangled global supply chains also play a role in driving global inflation, economists and central bankers are increasingly pointing to ultrastrong U.S. demand as a root cause.

“Are we crowding out consumers in other countries? Probably,” said Aneta Markowska, chief financial economist at Jefferies in New York. “The U.S. consumer has a lot more purchasing power as a result of fiscal policy than consumers elsewhere. Europe could be in a stagflationary scenario next year as a consequence.”

The U.S. accounts for almost nine-tenths of the roughly 22-percentage-point surge in demand for durable goods among major advanced economies since the end of 2019, according to data from the Bank of England.

“Very strong U.S. demand is certainly where [global supply bottlenecks] started,” said Lars Mikael Jensen, head of network at container ship giant A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S.

“It’s like a queue on a highway. The increase in volume in the U.S…takes ships away from other markets,” said Mr. Jensen. “Problems in one place will trigger problems somewhere else, we live in a global world.”

The U.S. economy will likely grow by around 6% in 2021 and 4% or more in 2022, the highest rates for decades, analysts say. Strong U.S. growth momentum is expected to push the unemployment rate to the lowest level in almost seven decades by 2023, according to Deutsche Bank analysts.

U.S. economic output is likely to surpass its pre-pandemic path early next year, while output in China and emerging markets will remain about 2% below that path through 2023, according to JPMorgan Chase.

U.S. wages are growing by about 4% a year, above the precrisis trend rate, compared with less than 1% growth in the eurozone, according to data from the Bank for International Settlements, a Switzerland-based bank for central banks.

“We threw a lot of support at [the economy] and what’s coming out now is really strong growth, really strong demand, high incomes and all that kind of thing,” said Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell after the central bank’s recent meeting. “People will judge in 25 years whether we overdid it or not.”

The Fed said it would more quickly scale back its Covid-19 bond purchases and set the stage for a series of interest-rate increases beginning next spring.

In Europe, the ECB pledged to continue buying bonds at least through October 2022, and said it was unlikely to raise interest rates next year. Underlying U.S. inflation, annualized over two years, has risen above 3%, roughly double the level in the eurozone, according to data that adjust for the impact of the pandemic and changes in volatile food and energy prices.

“The strong post-pandemic recovery that was originally expected for 2022 still hasn’t materialized,” said Timo Wollmershäuser, head of forecasts at Germany’s Ifo think tank. The institute recently lowered its growth forecast for Germany in 2022 by 1.4 percentage points, to 3.7%, citing ongoing supply bottlenecks and a new wave of Covid-19.

The Fed’s assertiveness is pushing up the value of the U.S. dollar and putting pressure on emerging-market central banks to increase interest rates even before their own economic recoveries are assured or risk depreciating currencies and runaway inflation.

Mexico’s central bank on Dec. 16 said it would increase its benchmark interest rate by 0.5 percentage point to 5.50% after inflation rose to a 20-year high of 7.4%.

In Europe, the ECB pledged to continue buying bonds at least through October 2022, and said it was unlikely to raise interest rates next year. Underlying U.S. inflation, annualized over two years, has risen above 3%, roughly double the level in the eurozone, according to data that adjust for the impact of the pandemic and changes in volatile food and energy prices.

“The strong post-pandemic recovery that was originally expected for 2022 still hasn’t materialized,” said Timo Wollmershäuser, head of forecasts at Germany’s Ifo think tank. The institute recently lowered its growth forecast for Germany in 2022 by 1.4 percentage points, to 3.7%, citing ongoing supply bottlenecks and a new wave of Covid-19.

The Fed’s assertiveness is pushing up the value of the U.S. dollar and putting pressure on emerging-market central banks to increase interest rates even before their own economic recoveries are assured or risk depreciating currencies and runaway inflation.

Mexico’s central bank on Dec. 16 said it would increase its benchmark interest rate by 0.5 percentage point to 5.50% after inflation rose to a 20-year high of 7.4%.

Russia’s central bank said Friday it would increase its key interest rate by 1 percentage point to 8.5%, and might raise rates again soon, after inflation hit a near six-year high of 8.4%.

Businesses are pouring money into the U.S., looking to take advantage of what some expect to be a sustainable increase in demand. In some cases, they are bringing production closer to American consumers, looking to avoid supply shocks related to the pandemic and global trade wars...

Still more.

 

Jennifer Delacruz's Winter Storm Forecast

Lots more weather coverage for you, this time from our fabulous forecaster, Ms. Jennifer, at ABC News 10 San Diego:

Freezing, Blustery Southern California Weather (VIDEO)

This is new, these "hard freeze" warnings.

At CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Today's Deals

At Amazon, Today's Deals. New Deals. Every day. Shop our Deal of the Day, Lightning Deals and more daily deals and limited-time sales.

See especially, Precor EFX 222 Energy Series Elliptical Cross Trainer.

Also, Gnarly Nutrition Whey Sports Protein - All Natural New Zealand Grass Fed Whey Protein (Chiseled Chocolate).

More, Odoland Snow Ski Goggles S2 Double Lens Anti-fog Windproof UV400 Eyewear - Skiing, Snowboarding, Motorcycle Cycling and Snowmobile Winter Outdoor Sports Protective Glasses.

And, Davenport Leather Backpack.

Plus, UGG Women's Classic Cuff Short Winter Boot.

Still more, Ray-Ban Men's 0RB4165 Justin Sunglasses.

Here, CLIF BAR - Energy Bar - Blueberry Crisp - (2.4-Ounce Protein Bar, 12 Count).

Finally, Samsung Curved 55" 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV (2017 Model) - UN55MU6500 w/ TV Cut The Cord Bundle Includes, Durable HDTV & FM Antenna, 2x 6ft. High Speed HDMI Cable & Screen Cleaner for LED TVs.

BONUS: Ernest Hemingway, Islands in the Stream.

Cold Weather in Southern California Expected to Continue This Week

My young son had a lab appointment yesterday to have blood drawn, and he was NPO after midnight. So we schlepped over there before 8:00am. The Odyssey van was frosted over and it took a few minutes before the windshield wipers took effect.

Interesting, especially in that it's been just as cold on the West Coast as it's been elsewhere across the country.

At the Los Angeles Times:

It’s been cold in Los Angeles, which means it’s time to break out the scarves, hats, parkas and gloves and dress up like Han Solo trekking across Hoth in “The Empire Strikes Back.”

Parts of Los Angeles will see overnight temperatures drop to around 40 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures in Santa Barbara County will plummet to the low 30s, which could result in damage to crops.

The cold snap is expected to last through the week, with freezing or near-freezing temperatures around dawn Wednesday and Thursday. Santa Ana winds in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and the Antelope Valley increase the fire risk Thursday and Friday, the weather service said.

Reaching for all those extra layers makes sense, even when temperatures hover in the low 60s, forecasters said.

"A lot of that has to do with the low humidity," said Emily Thornton, a meteorologist with the weather service in Oxnard. "Sea breezes come throughout the day and that can make it feel relatively cooler."

"I just moved here from Tennessee and I have noticed it can feel pretty cold here," she added...

Also, watch Kristen Keogh, at ABC News 10 San Diego.

High Winds, Cold Weather Batter the Pacific Northwest (VIDEO)

At KOIN 6 News Portland, "Heavy winds wreak havoc across Oregon and Washington."

And at CBS This Morning, "Rain and snow target millions in the West":

Many parts of the country are getting hammered by powerful weather systems during Christmas week. It’s raining in the East and the South, but the worst weather is in the West. Powerful Pacific storms threaten millions with rain and snow, while some areas in northern California are already being hit with snow. John Blackstone reports from Mill Valley, California.

Still more, at KCRA News 3 Sacramento, "Heavy rainfall moves into the Foothills Monday afternoon," and "Snow causes major delays on Sierra roads."

The 2015 Coat Guide

At Amazon, Shop Fashion - Women's Coats & Jackets.

Plus, from Marc Thiessen, Courting Disaster: How the CIA Kept America Safe and How Barack Obama Is Inviting the Next Attack.

And ICYMI, Sean Naylor, Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command.

Orange County Prepares for El Niño

We could have massive flooding over the winter rainy season, or so they say.

At the Orange County Register, "Canyon country already busy preparing for winter storms":

Joanne Hubble, unofficial public information officer for Orange County’s canyon country, is in a field helping locals sort stacks of sandbags, bales of rice plants – not hay, mind you, because horses eat hay – and piles of rebar.

Why rebar? The steel bars go deep into the ground and, hopefully, will hold the makeshift dams when storms hit this winter.

That’s right, when – not if – storms hit, according to meteorologists. In an era of climate change, weather is weird.

While most of the county busies itself with drought, Hubble and her canyon neighbors prepare for an onslaught of rain. Even if you simply live near a slope, warn meteorologists, you should be ready for what some call mudslides...

Keep reading.

But see also, "Are we ready for El Niño?"

Groundhog Bites Wisconsin Mayor at Sun Prairie Ceremony (VIDEO)

The perils of prognostication.

At the Chicago Tribune, "Jimmy the Groundhog turns on Wisconsin mayor."

And watch, at AP, "Groundhog Bites Wisconsin Mayor at Ceremony."

RELATED: At WaPo, "Groundhog Day 2015: Punxsutawney Phil sees shadow, predicts six more weeks of winter."

Winter Break

At Althouse, "How I spent the winter break between semesters at the University of Wisconsin Law School":

I sat in my Freedom Chair or stood at my motorized desk in front of a wall of picture windows looking out over our snow-covered yard though which a dog occasionally bounded, and — once the blizzard came — went cross-country skiing nearly every day. I ate many delicious meals at home with my beloved husband, and watched some football games on TV. I blogged, read, graded some exams, worked on new syllabi, reorganized a couple closets, and — at long last — burned the rest of the CDs I still cared about into my iTunes.

Keep reading.

I my world, winter break doesn't start until the papers are graded and semester grades submitted. Then I can forget about it --- and this year I have until February 5th to chill, with the college's new 16 week calendar giving faculty members a really long and wonderful holiday.

PHOTO: "At the Winter Walk Café..." (on Flickr).