- World Report 2024: China (hrw.org)
In late 2022, the Chinese government abruptly ended its draconian “zero Covid” policy. As much of the population—and the medical establishment—was unprepared, Covid-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths surged. Officially, the government estimated that there were 60,000 “excess deaths” in December 2022; a US academic study put the figure at 1.87 million deaths between December 2022 and January 2023. The true toll will likely remain unknown due to severe censorship.
- Suiattle River (Wikipedia)
The Suiattle River (/suːˈætəl/ soo-AT-əl) is a river in the northern Cascade Mountains of western Washington, United States. It is a tributary of the Sauk River and by extension the Skagit River. Its source is located between Suiattle Glacier and Honeycomb Glacier on Glacier Peak, at an elevation of around 7,000 ft (2,100 m) above sea level. It descends through a 60-mile (97 km) course, lying mainly within the Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest. It meets the Sauk northeast of Darrington, Washington, at an elevation of 400 ft (120 m). Snowmelt from Chocolate and Dusty Glacier gives the river silty water, with a suspended load over twice that of the upper Sauk or adjacent White Chuck.