“The East India Company was no apparition though; it was the template for many subsequent corporations […] Liberals betray themselves […] the moment they turn a blind eye to this kind of hyper-concentrated power. […] This is why trading in apples does not come even close to trading in shares. Large quantities may produce, at worse, lots of bad cider, but large amounts of money invested in liquid shares can release demonic forces that no market or state can control.”
― Yanis Varoufakis, Another Now: Dispatches from an Alternative Present

Built of cobbled hubris and copied code we sail a vast uncharted ocean of extremely hungry sharks, no “plan” at any point but sink or swim, and no rudder. Greater speed the only virtue and destination. You can imagine how it goes, when it does. The looks on people’s faces in the inconvenient reality. Wherever this course leads, faster. More coal to the boilers now. Release date approaches.

Many took to social media to share their frustration at the royal figure’s sentiment, with some connecting the statement to “eco-fascism” – a theory that argues humans are overburdening the planet and that some populations are more responsible than others. //

Heather Alberro, a lecturer in global sustainable development at Nottingham Trent University, told Al Jazeera that equating population growth with climate change, or conservation, is a complex issue.

“Focusing only on human numbers functions as a red herring,” she said. “What research increasingly shows is that extreme poverty, socioeconomic inequality and capitalist systems predicated on endless growth for maximising shareholder value are greater predictors of ecological decline.

“Is it any wonder [then], that a poacher, driven by poverty and the lucrative price tag associated with ivory, would be compelled to kill an elephant?”

Alberro explained that the narrative on blame needed to shift. Instead, she argued, the focus should be on how global inequities are at the heart of the climate crisis.

“Reckoning with the ongoing, violent legacies of colonial capitalism, which continue to drive the exploitation of people, places, resources, other species, is an important first step towards truly transformative change,” she said.

“The irony is that recent research has found that Indigenous peoples are often the best stewards of ecosystems.” //

Josina’s collective focuses on building relationships with the land, particularly for people from Black and Brown communities, that “exist beyond the dynamics of extraction”.

“‘Conservation’ comes from a very colonial time. It treats people who are living there as feckless and worthy of being kicked off the land,” Josina added.

“Some of the most dangerous narratives come from upper-class environmentalists. It’s not just Prince William; it’s not just his father, it’s also David Attenborough, it’s also Jane Goodall,” they said, referring to the British broadcaster and natural historian, and English primatologist.

“All these people promote this idea that it’s other people irresponsibility, that it’s poor people’s responsibility.”

While many children who do catch COVID have few to no symptoms, those with underlying health conditions may be at increased risk of severe illness. //

Taiwan has temporarily suspended giving second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to children and adolescents between 12 and 17 years over concerns from the risk of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the outer lining of the heart), according to media reports. //

In Norway, which is not part of the EU, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been approved for those aged 12 to 15. But health authorities have paused the rollout of second doses, partly due to a rare side effect linked to heart inflammation. //

Since the beginning of the pandemic, children represented 16.9 percent of all confirmed cases, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. In the week ending November 18, children made up 25.1 percent of reported cases. Children make up 22.2 percent of the US population.

Holy Night” has to be one of the most-sung Christmas songs out there and why not? It’s a pretty song with theologically rich verses and a high note that feels like a tightrope walk for even the most gifted vocalists. But what a lot of people don’t know is that the Christmas Carol has a long legacy of being an anthem of abolitionism.

In 1843, a French poet and wine merchant named Placide Cappeau was commissioned to write a Christmas piece to celebrate the renovation of a church organ in his hometown. Cappeau was keen on the idea, even though he himself was an atheist, and wrote “Minuit, chrétiens,” or “Midnight, Christians.” The music was supplied by a Jewish composer named Adolphe Adams and the song became a holiday hit in France in spite of — or maybe because of — its author’s socialist leanings.

Scott Morefield
@SKMorefield
QAnon Shaman gets 41 months in prison for walking around the Capitol.

Leftist Antifa member gets probation & a fine for taking an axe to a senator's door, and the FBI even returned the axe.

Sounds about right.

8:42 PM · Nov 29, 2021 //

Starks pled guilty to the destruction of government property. Federal sentencing guidelines recommended that he get between 10-16 months. But instead, he was given probation and only had to pay $2,784 in restitution. He even got the ax he used in the commission of the offense back. Starks mocked the FBI for giving the ax back to him. //

More differences? Starks got to raise money for his defense on GoFundMe while the effort to raise money for Kyle Rittenhouse was pulled by GoFundMe officials.

Three North Dakota Democratic officials even donated to Starks. //

We are a country based on the rule of law, which includes the concept of equal treatment under the law. But when we see things like this, it eats away and erodes that basic foundational principle of our government. It makes us question if there still is that equal treatment under the law or whether your politics determine how you will be treated. It would be an incredibly dangerous thing to lose that cornerstone on which we were built.

People have always explored and modified the technologies in their lives, whether crystal radios, automobiles, or computer software. Reverse engineering is one expression of this tinkering impulse. Unfortunately, legal regulation of reverse engineering can impact the Freedom to Tinker in a variety of ways. This FAQ gives some information that may help coders reduce their legal risk.

There’s so many athletes, so many actors, so many singers and rappers out there. They’re scared to say a word because they care too much about their money – the endorsement deals, what the teams they play for say," Kanter said.

"They should know one thing: It should be morals and principles over money. It shouldn’t be the opposite way. People’s life depends on this," he continued, noting that athletes in all sports are role models to young people around the world.

Kanter added that he feels alone in his efforts to call out China for its repeated atrocities.

"So many people care too much about the business side of it," Kanter said. "But to me, human rights are way more important than anything you offer me."

lhw | November 27, 2021 at 12:16 pm
The AMO is well known and at least partially understood. It is a 70+ year cycle in which warm water is pumped up to the Arctic. The exact cause is perhaps not well understood, but it appears to sync with solar activity. There are some thoughts that the heat engine is being driven by clouds in the Arctic which change the albedo. The last minimum was the 1970s, previous one was around 1905. Most recent max was around 2012. We are now on the downtrend. The Arctic ice cover has increased in each of the past five years. It is now within 1 sigma of the mean of the past 40 years.

There is a real problem with a lot of things. One of the biggest is making measurements starting in about 1980 during the uptrend of the ΑΜΟ. It is like making measurements from february to july and then predicting that we will be all incinerated by Christmas. The other problem is measuring temperature in urban areas where the changes in hydrology, albedo, and energy dumping corrupt any temperature measurements.

Expect it to get gradually cooler through 2045 or so. The northeast passage should be frozen up a bit before 2030. In a thousand years, we will have to rely on solar energy and nuclear energy for our energy in general. We have used up the stored solar energy of fossil fuels. Rushing headlong into it at the moment for the wrong reasons is going to be a disaster in ten years or so. //

alaskabob. | November 27, 2021 at 3:56 pm
We shall see on the oil. If we ever cannot drill it, we will synthesize it. Long hydrocarbon chains are just too useful. They are a nice way to store energy in a stable configuration for long periods of time not to mention being the feedstock to all sorts of other stuff.

I wonder if the usual idjets who are against ng understand what that is used for commercially. You steam reform ch4 to create ch3oh (methanol. You then take the methanol and turn it into formaldehyde which you use to make building materials like plywood. Live in a house? You need ng to build it these days. That is just the start of stuff. Eat food? Well gosh gee. More steam reforming to create H2 and then pound it together with N2 to make NH3. Corn loves ammonia fertilizer.

Oh well…. //

2smartforlibs. | November 27, 2021 at 1:09 pm
No, this is one of the shorter cycles. See: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2021/11/23/leif-svalgaard-responds-to-willie-soon/ This is the longer cycle that is shorter than 100 years. There is also a cycle at about 210 years and 900 years if you look at the fossil record. The Milankovitch cycle is tens of thousands of years and is driven by the change in the earth’s orbit, not the radiation from the sun. The Milankovitch cycle has its shortest period at about 100K years.

But don’t fret, the goalposts have been moved again. As of 2019, the UN said “only 11 years left to prevent irreversible damage from climate change”:

That gives us until 2030 — or 58 years after the warnings of 1972. Advocates for change believe if they just scream louder, or write more like the Book of Revelations, they’ll get the world to agree to a complete upheaval of modern life and trillions in spending. But after decades of alarmism, they sound like the boy who cried warming. People have tuned them out.

Climate change is real, but adapting to it, mitigating it with technology is the most realistic solution. Will China and India just give up on coal, gas and oil overnight? No, and neither will the United States. But emissions already are falling in Western countries, the world is innovating.

We predict things are going to get better. Ten years. Twenty years, tops. Maybe 30

Consider these suggestions for strengthening legislation that combats the anti-Israel, anti-Semitic movement, consistent with First Amendment rights //

But many states are fighting back. Thirty-five of them have passed anti-BDS laws, resolutions or executive orders opposing boycott, divestment, and/or sanctions against Israel. Some are modeled on anti-boycott legislation the United States passed back in the 1970s to counteract the Arab boycott. U.S. law forbids taxpayers from participating in a foreign boycott of Israel. //

Anti-Israel groups have targeted anti-BDS laws for extermination. In the course of litigation, they have shone a spotlight on the laws’ strengths and weaknesses. Here are some suggestions for strengthening anti-BDS legislation consistent with First Amendment rights.

Yet there is more evidence that what is occurring is related to solar energy output than SUV’s. I have noted before, the Sun has likely entered into the modern Grand Solar Minimum (2020–2053) of sunspot activity. This means that there will be a significant reduction of solar magnetic field and activity like during Maunder minimum leading to a noticeable reduction of terrestrial temperature.

This theory better aligns with the record-breaking cold in the Antarctic as well as the early freeze in the Arctic that just stranded 18 ships. //

Clearly “experts” are baffled by climate. Therefore, there should be no rush to impose remedies that likely will not work, yet have the potential to harm people economically, lower the standard of living, and line the pockets of bureaucrats.

"If I were in Hong Kong, I think I'll probably be in jail," said Lin, the 33-year-old deputy secretary-general of Taiwan's governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

The recent events in Hong Kong have given Lin greater determination to defend Taiwan's sovereignty, he said -- and he is not alone.

As authorities in Hong Kong arrested pro-democracy supporters, including opposition politicians and newspaper editors, a growing number of people in Taiwan have reflected upon the island's future relationship with mainland China.

Since the Hong Kong protests broke out in 2019, more than 32% of respondents in Taiwan preferred a move toward formal "independence" -- twice as many as in 2018 -- according to a survey by Taiwan's National Chengchi University in June.

What is it about the straight-six engine design that makes it almost completely bulletproof? Take a look through the history of American automotive design, and you'll discover a trio of motors that have a hard-won reputation as being unkillable, able to keep running for hundreds of thousands of miles with only the most minimal maintenance required. Some of these engines have even been known to survive catastrophic conditions that would have felled more delicate power plants, requiring only a fluid top-off and a fresh set of plugs to put in another tour of duty. //

AMC/Jeep Straight Six
The 4.0-liter inline-six cylinder engine originally found in the ultra-popular Jeep Cherokee XJ was the last AMC motor to be sold in America. It had been developed in the early 1980s, and was based on the brand's previous experience with straight-sixes. Featuring the same excellent crankshaft balance that is gifted to all inline engines, as well as seven main bearings, the lack of vibration, excellent oiling, and strong build quality of the 4.0 would see it offered from 1986 all the way to 2006, giving it a whopping 20 years of continuous production. //

Ford 300 Straight Six
Way back in 1965 Ford debuted an engine that would serve for more than 30 years as the backbone of its entry-level, task-focused trucks and vans—not to mention pull duty in a long list of agricultural, industrial and commercial vehicles, too. //

Chrysler Slant Six
Chrysler's famous 'slant' six (so named because its block leans 30 degrees to the right side in the engine bay of the original 60s-era econo cars it was installed in, in order to clear the hood) came in three distinct flavors. There were 170, 198, and 225 cubic inch versions of the motor available, but the 225 is the one that has garnered the strongest reputation for never saying die.

Crowdfunding has raised millions for ‘The Chosen,’ an ambitious series exploring characters from the New Testament. Fans have already chipped in enough for three seasons—and are driving ticket sales for a Christmas special coming to movie theaters. //

The success of the series is a powerful reminder to Hollywood that faith-focused projects can sometimes become breakthrough hits. But what makes “The Chosen” even more of an outlier is the way it is supercharging the crowdfunding model to sustain production through multiple seasons. Though “The Chosen” is free to watch, viewers have poured $40 million and counting into its production budget, enough to pay for three out of a planned seven seasons. The costs of building the new production facilities, on a 1,200-acre camp owned by the Salvation Army, are being covered by a smaller group of the show’s fans.

According to Musk, Tesla’s decision in Germany was partly due to lessons that the company learned in the United States. The CEO noted that the loan’s onerous terms ultimately ended up exceeding the value of the money that Tesla received. Thus, the company decided to pay its $465 million loan early, even if it had to pay an “early repayment penalty.”

This was quite a surprise for many, as Tesla ended up being negatively incentivized not because it didn’t pay off its loan; but because it paid off its loan early. In comparison, the United States government ended up losing $11.2 billion in its bailout of General Motors, a company that, at least according to US President Joe Biden, is leading the electric vehicle revolution.

According to Michael Weinrauch, MD, a New Jersey-based cardiologist, the bottom line is that even the smallest neighborhood loop can have an immense impact on your health and well-being. “The take home point here is that even 15 minutes a day of walking, without stopping, provides benefit with regards to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality,” he says. Morbidity refers to illness or disease, while mortality refers to death. Research has associated 15 minutes of activity with a 22 percent lower risk of death (mortality), and walking with a 43 percent reduced risk in stroke and reduction the risk factors of heart attack (morbidity), regardless of how fast your heart is beating. “Keep in mind, most of the research that has been done on the benefits of walking have been done without monitoring heart rates during physical activity. Remember, the Fitbit and smart watch apps are still actually a relatively new phenomenon,” adds Dr. Weinrauch. Long story, short: The morbidity and mortality benefits of walking seem to occur regardless of your heart’s beats per minute (BPMs).

08_SUBMERSIBLE PUMPS AND MOTORS

California’s largest VRFB project to date, supplied by Japan’s Sumitomo Electric Industries (SEI), has been participating in wholesale market opportunities since 2018. Image: SDG&E / Ted Walton.
Four new grid-scale battery energy storage projects have been announced by California energy supplier Central Coast Community Energy (CCCE), including three long-duration flow battery projects.

CCCE, one of the US state’s community choice aggregator (CCA) energy supplier groups, said it has selected the projects in response to a request for proposals (RfP) it issued in June. In total, 21 proposals from 16 developers were submitted and two more energy storage projects are still being considered along with the announced four.

In what could be the biggest utility procurement of the technology so far in the world, vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) systems with eight-hour storage duration will be built ranging in size from 6MW / 18MWh to 16MW / 128MWh, together with a four-hour lithium-ion battery system. CCCE gave an estimated date of 2026 for all of the approved projects to be operational.

Brave Books was started by conservative parents as an alternative to the current progressive agenda that is seeded into the culture.

The founders tell the story,

We didn’t want to just create good books that children would enjoy and eventually forget, but instead we wanted to create a learning experience woven into an epic adventure that will forever live in your children’s hearts and minds. This is why we have built the BRAVE Universe which is a world with both a fascinating map and cast of characters. Every month, BRAVE Books partners with a conservative figure to create a story that takes place in this world and teaches children either a topical or foundational conservative lesson.

BRAVE Books is far from your average children’s book company. We have a subscription model and we send a book out every month with every single book delivering a conservative lesson that is so important for our children.

The first book included in this series is Elephants Are Not Birds and covers the sensitive topic of gender identity, and is followed by the books below.