You might get a breakthrough case of Covid-19 this winter. Here’s how to prepare.

If you’re hoping for the best but still want to plan for the worst, there are things you can do now.

By Rachel Wilkerson Miller@the_rewm Dec 18, 2021, 9:00am EST

Excerpts, full article:

https://www.vox.com/22841985/breakthrough-covid-19-winter-positive-test-how-to-prepare?utm_source=pocket-newtab

As case numbers increase in the US and a new variant of concern circulates, it’s hard to feel optimistic about our upcoming Covid-19 season. Among people who are vaccinated and who have been fairly cautious thus far, a dark feeling of inevitability may be beginning to settle in — a sense that even if you’ve avoided the coronavirus until now, that might not hold through the winter.

While it can be anxiety-inducing to see a cluster of storm clouds gathering and know there’s a very good chance you’re in their direct path, there is still time to do a bit of weatherproofing, so to speak — or at least put on a raincoat and grab an umbrella, so that you’re not caught totally off guard when it starts to pour.

Get boosted (and get a flu shot)

Plain and simple. As Vox has previously reported, booster shots today could fight omicron tomorrow, and getting a flu shot will help keep hospitals from being overwhelmed (and reduce the risk of co-infection).

Step up your mask game

It can be difficult to think of yourself as contagious, especially when you feel great or just “not that sick.” But it’s important to internalize the reality that, at any point, you could unwittingly pose a much bigger threat to others than you realize. That means taking extra precautions to protect your community, especially if you’ve gotten a little lax about this since getting vaccinated.

“No one wants to experience a breakthrough infection,” Madad says. “We know that even fully vaccinated people can transmit the virus, obviously at a lower extent, to fully vaccinated individuals. I think that’s really important for people to understand. It’s not just about you. I know here in America, it’s a lot about me, me, me, but we need to make sure we’re also looking at we, collectively.”

The best mask is one that fits, so make sure yours does, and think about replacing your cloth masks with N95, KN95, or surgical masks. If you want to stick with cloth, consider whether it’s time to replace your current supply. (Vox reported in September 2020 that a cloth mask likely needs to be replaced after 100 rounds in the washer or 50 in the dryer because the fabric will start to break down and become more porous.)

With that in mind, take some time to familiarize yourself with the current CDC recommendations for the Covid-positive. Plan that, per current recommendations, you’ll likely need to be at home for 10 days — and not just mostly at home, but literally not leaving your home, except to get medical care, for 10 days. (Also keep in mind the current guidance could change with omicron.) Here are some other things to think about:

Are there any steps you could take to mitigate spread to family members or housemates? For example, can you confine yourself to one room or even one floor? If you live in an apartment, does it make sense to buy an air purifier and a couple of fans to help with ventilation? Madad also pointed to New York City’s free hotel program for people and/or families who need to isolate. Not all cities will have options like this, of course, but it’s absolutely worth knowing that ahead of time.

If you have young kids, what might you do in terms of child care if you have to self-isolate and can’t send your kid to day care or school?

How might you get food and medicine if you can’t leave the house? Do any drug stores or grocery stores near your home offer delivery? Are there any local mutual aid groups you can join now, in case you need a supply drop-off from a neighbor later?

Stock up on essentials

One thing that will make it massively easier to isolate and to focus on getting better is a well-stocked medicine chest and pantry.

To tend to your symptoms, you’ll likely want to have a variety of cold and cough medicines, pain relievers and fever reducers (like acetaminophen and ibuprofen), cough drops, a thermometer, and a few boxes of tissues. Madad says a pulse oximeter to monitor changes in your oxygen levels also isn’t a bad idea, though the reliability of this tool varies somewhat, especially for those with dark skin. Think about what you like to eat when you’re sick and/or don’t have much appetite (jello, popsicles, instant ramen, soup, etc.) and consider bulking up your grocery list for a few weeks with pantry staples and freezer meals for the benefit of Future You.

Not Making Headlines: Omicron Variant So Weak that South Africa will Stop Tracing and Quarantining of Contacts

By Jim Hoft Published December 19, 2021 at 1:19pm

South Africa ministers announced the country is moving to stop contact tracing and quarantining of Omicron contacts. Healthcare experts discovered the Omicron is so weak that they do not need to trace the Omicron variant among the people.

This is good news for those who believe that the Omicron will help with herd immunity.

It’s bad news for Fauci and his political operatives pushing vaccinations.

Alex Berenson reported from News 24:

The Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) on Covid-19 has written to Health Minister Joe Phaahla, recommending that the quarantining of contacts be stopped as it is no longer viable in the current social and economic climate.

TRENDING: PLEASE DO YOUR PART: Send a Christmas Card to The Political Prisoners in Washington DC and Let Them Know They're Not Forgotten …Here's How

Furthermore, the committee said contact tracing was no longer necessary and should also be halted with immediate effect…

…With only a small number of contacts identified from a proportionally small Covid-19 cases, quarantining was no longer effective for containing the spread of the disease, MAC said.

The committee said testing was highly skewed toward detecting symptomatic cases, while the vast majority of cases are asymptomatic and go undetected.

“In addition, among the small proportion of symptomatic cases, testing is far from universal, since patients may not seek testing when their symptoms are mild and when testing would be burdensome and expensive. Furthermore, the SARS-CoV-2 test sensitivity is suboptimal, sometimes leading to false negative results.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/12/not-making-headlines-omicron-variant-weak-south-africa-will-stop-tracing-quarantining-contacts/

>>111803

I'm looking at a Spring of vaxxed Estate Sales

Canada #26 >>>/qresearch/15224703

COVID Is the Virus. Wokeness Is the Disease

https://www.theepochtimes.com/covid-is-the-virus-wokeness-is-the-disease_4166089.html

“Willfully blind and recklessly misleading.” Those are just two of the aspersions that law professors have levelled at the Free North Declaration, a call to arms to protect civil liberties in Canada from COVID-19 irrationality and overreach. Launched on Nov. 12 and profiled recently in the Epoch Times by Lisa Bildy (one of its creators, along with myself and two others), the declaration has now been endorsed by over 400 lawyers and 45,000 concerned citizens. No surprise that it has also attracted condemnation from academics and other woke COVID apostles. After all, the COVID debacle is in large part a crisis born of wokeness itself.

Rather than simply rebut what they oppose with evidence and argument, which would be entirely legitimate, the woke instead seek to scandalize and shame—and in the case of the declaration, not merely its content, but its very expression. For instance, 10 benchers (governors) of the Law Society of Ontario who have signed the declaration have been accused of breaching their code of conduct, for which the Law Society should impose discipline. The declaration is not merely mistaken, but illegitimate. Those who agree with it are not simply misguided, but guilty of professional misconduct. Better to cancel than debate, is the woke philosophy. Shut them down.

Continued at source

Australia #20 >>>/qresearch/15223566

Why was Prince Andrew accuser not called in trial of Ghislaine Maxwell? Virginia Roberts was 'available' to give evidence in sex trafficking case but was not contacted by officials, court hears

SAM GREEHILL - 20 December 2021

Prince Andrew’s accuser Virginia Roberts was ‘available’ to give evidence at Ghislaine Maxwell’s child sex trafficking trial – but nobody called her, the court was told.

Miss Roberts – now Virginia Giuffre – was allegedly recruited as a schoolgirl sex slave by Maxwell and forced into abuse by Epstein and his friends, including the Duke of York, who strenuously denies the claims.

Miss Roberts has been a running feature of the case, having flown 32 times on Epstein’s ‘Lolita Express’ private jet with the multi-millionaire financier and Maxwell, as well as recruiting schoolgirl Carolyn for alleged abuse, jurors heard. Yet neither side has called the 38-year-old as a witness.

The prosecution did not explain why it had not done so, although it might have feared that inconsistencies which have emerged over the years in her well-publicised story might not have been helpful.

And if the defence had called Miss Roberts, who blames Maxwell for ruining her life, it could have been disastrous. In a hearing on Saturday, prosecutors taunted Maxwell’s defence lawyers by saying they could have invited Miss Roberts to take the stand but had chosen not to.

Andrew Rohrbach said: ‘The most obvious witness who was available to both sides and who we expect the defence to comment on is Virginia Roberts, who was described as a victim but did not testify and she was fully available to the defendants. They did not call her.’

Maxwell faces the fight of her life on the final day of her trial in New York. Jurors could be sent out to begin their deliberations as early as this evening, Judge Alison Nathan said.

The British socialite’s lawyers have accused prosecutors of going after her rather than Epstein’s ‘co-conspirators’ such as Sarah Kellen, who has been dubbed the paedophile’s ‘lieutenant’.

On Friday evening, Maxwell said there was ‘no need’ for her to give testimony in her defence because prosecutors had failed to prove her guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

Maxwell denies six charges of child sex trafficking, and faces dying in jail if convicted of them.

In court, her demeanour has changed from looking confident to appearing panicked and upset with her £5 million legal team.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10326923/Virginia-Giuffre-available-evidence-Maxwell-sex-trafficking-case-not-contacted.html

Australia #20 >>>/qresearch/15225175

Hong Kong election has Five Eyes seeing red

BEN PACKHAM - DECEMBER 20, 2021

The Five Eyes nations have issued a joint statement expressing “grave concerns” over the outcome of Hong Kong’s first legislative elections since Beijing dictated only so-called patriots could govern the city.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne joined her counterparts from the US, Britain, Canada and New Zealand in condemning the “erosion of democratic elements of the Special Administrative ­Region’s electoral system”, which prompted a boycott of the Legislative Council ballot on Sunday.

“Actions that undermine Hong Kong’s rights, freedoms and high degree of autonomy are threatening our shared wish to see Hong Kong succeed,” they said in the statement issued late on Monday night.

“Since the handover, candidates with diverse political views have contested elections in Hong Kong. This election has reversed this trend.”

The Five Eyes ministers said the changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system earlier this year, which reduced the number of ­directly elected seats and established a new vetting process for candidates, had “eliminated any meaningful political opposition”.

They also remained “gravely concerned at the wider chilling ­effect” of the CCP-imposed national security law in Hong Kong, and “the growing restrictions on freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, which are being felt across civil society”.

“Protecting space for peaceful alternative views is the most effective way to ensure the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong.

“We urge the People’s Republic of China to act in accordance with its international obligations to respect protected rights and fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong, including those guaranteed under the Sino-British Joint Declaration.”

The statement was authorised by Senator Payne, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, and New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta.

New Zealand’s decision to join the statement is significant, after Ms Mahuta said this year she was “uncomfortable with expanding the remit of the Five Eyes” beyond intelligence sharing.

The position followed criticism by China’s Foreign Ministry the Five Eyes intelligence sharing partners had “taken co-ordinated steps to gang up on China”.

In a stinging rebuke for Beijing, Hongkongers turned out in historically low numbers to cast votes under the new “patriots only” rules that dramatically cut directly elected seats, official results showed on Monday.

Figures showed just 30 per cent of the electorate cast ballots.

It was the first legislature poll under a new political blueprint China imposed on Hong Kong in response to massive and often ­violent pro-democracy protests two years ago.

The Five Eyes, including New Zealand, previously issued a joint statement on Hong Kong in November last year, after Chinese authorities arrested Hong Kong politicians Ted Hui, Eddie Chu, and Raymond Chan.

Mr Hui, who has since relocated to Australia, said the low turnout for the “sham election” reflected the anger of ordinary people about the loss of their democratic freedoms.

“The message to Beijing is very clear,” the now-Adelaide resident told The Australian. “(Hongkongers) feel that the election is irrelevant and illegitimate, and they don’t want to recognise it.”

Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong said Labor was “deeply disappointed” at the restrictions that were placed on election candidates.

“Unfortunately, the Legislative Council elections are yet another illustration of the con­tinuing erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy and democratic freedoms, as guaranteed in the Basic Law and the Sino-British Joint Declaration, to which China had committed,” Senator Wong said.

“This further undermining of Hong Kong’s democracy and the One Country, Two Systems arrangement is not the behaviour of a responsible global power.”

According to CCP mouthpiece China Daily: “Despite continuous smearing and slander from radicals and backstage manipulators, polling in Hong Kong’s first Legislative Council election under the revamped system concluded smoothly.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/hong-kong-election-has-five-eyes-seeing-red/news-story/942c08542e1a0b7690985bac268cb74b

https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/marise-payne/media-release/joint-statement-legislative-council-elections

Mysterious ‘tank’ spotted floating at sea(PHOTOS)

20 Dec, 2021 15:04

A mysterious object resembling military hardware has been spotted floating at sea. Indonesian military has acknowledged the bizarre occurrence, yet was unable to intercept the object that floated away.

Photos of the mysterious object emerged on Indonesian social media last week and promptly went viral. According to local media, the pictures were snapped by oil rig workers on the Natuna Sea – a vast, shallow basin in the southernmost portion of the South China Sea and located largely in Indonesia’s territorial waters.

One of the images shows the tank floating on the open sea, with its turret and gun clearly visible. While the vehicle appeared to be heavily rusted, some of its external equipment was intact, including spare jerry cans and a towing cable.

Ditemukan Benda Mirip Tank di Perairan Natuna, Ini Penjelasan TNI AL https://t.co/uiOxhj7GnL#beritajogja#jogja#jogjaistimewapic.twitter.com/GFpMFIgEKM

— Harian Jogja (@Harian_Jogja) December 18, 2021

Another picture shows the seafaring tank with a real ship – the anchor handling vessel OPS Astrid – in the background. The ship reportedly tried to approach the floating object, yet was unable to do so due to rough waters.

Masih aja planga-plongo di Natuna…. nih ada tank amphibi punya siapa cobaaaa… pic.twitter.com/wPtzzq1lmZ

— Midun (@kakak_pembina) December 16, 2021

The bizarre occurrence has been acknowledged by the country’s military, which sent rather mixed messages on the nature of the tank-like object. On Sunday, Major Saul Jamlaay told local media that the reports of finding “objects similar to tanks” were true, but that the “objects were not dangerous.” The tank-shaped object in question belonged to a local oil and gas company and was swept away from an offshore rig, the official claimed.

On Monday, however, Admiral Julius Widjojono provided a different account of the events, stating the nature and origins of the tank were not actually known, with the Navy still searching for the object that has “drifted away.”

“Please wait for a more in-depth analysis. The Navy’s seeking its whereabouts,” the admiral said, as quoted by local media.

https://www.rt.com/news/543763-tank-sea-floating-indonesia/

Stunning Covid data from Denmark

But not for the reason you've been told; the story is vaccine failure, not Omicron

The Danes are now publishing extremely detailed daily data about Covid cases and hospitalizations - not just about Omicron, but all Covid variants.

And, in news that will surprise precisely no one who has been alive the last two years, they paint a picture entirely different than what the media claims.

Omicron - which continues to appear significantly less dangerous though more transmissible than earlier variants of Covid - has been used as a cover for vaccine failure.

Most new Covid cases in Denmark occur in people who are vaccinated or boosted - and that is true for both Omicron and earlier variants. More than 76 percent of non-Omicron Covid infections in Denmark are in vaccinated people, along with about 90 percent of Omicron infections.

Further, only 25 of the 561 people currently hospitalized in Denmark for Covid have the Omicron variant. The Danes do not provide an exact number for patients in intensive care with Omicron, saying only that it is fewer than five.

Perhaps the most stunning fact about Omicron and Denmark is that its rise actually parallels a marked slowdown in the growth of Danish hospitalizations and intensive care patients. Those rose roughly fivefold between mid-October and late November, as the Danes left the happy vaccine valley. Since then they have barely budged, rising about 20 percent.

Danish Covid hospitalizations over the last three months: note that the rise predates Omicron.

https://alexberenson.substack.com/p/stunning-covid-data-from-denmark

https://www.ssi.dk/-/media/cdn/files/covid19/omikron/statusrapport/rapport-omikronvarianten-17122021-ep96.pdf?la=da

https://www.ssi.dk/-/media/cdn/files/covid19/omikron/statusrapport/rapport-omikronvarianten-16122021-fk3t.pdf?la=da

General Research #19260 >>>/qresearch/15225336

Law prof suggests rewrites of First and Second Amendments that do not mention free press or bearing arms

Law professor penned 'redo' of First and Second Amendments in Boston Globe op-ed

A professor at the University of Miami School of Law has penned a proposal for a "redo" of the First and Second Amendments in a Boston Globe op-ed.

Mary Anne Franks, the Michael R. Klein Distinguished Scholar Chair at the university, wrote that the first two amendments, which include the rights to free speech, religion and bearing arms, "inspire religious-like fervor in many Americans" and that both are "deeply flawed in their respective conceptualizations."

"These two amendments are highly susceptible to being read in isolation from the Constitution as a whole and from its commitments to equality and the collective good," Franks wrote.

The professor claims that the two amendments "tend to be interpreted in aggressively individualistic ways that ignore the reality of conflict among competing rights."

The result, according to Franks, is that "the most powerful members of society" benefit from these rights at the expense of vulnerable groups. Franks did not elaborate on individuals in these groups.

Franks proposed that both amendments should explicitly state "individual rights within the framework of ‘domestic tranquility’ and the ‘general welfare’ set out in the Constitution’s preamble."

For the First Amendment, her proposed "redo" reads:

"Every person has the right to freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly, and petition of the government for redress of grievances, consistent with the rights of others to the same and subject to responsibility for abuses. All conflicts of such rights shall be resolved in accordance with the principle of equality and dignity of all persons."

It continues that the government must respect "the freedom of religion and the freedom from religion."

For the Second Amendment, Franks said the concept of self-defense should be expanded to include "a meaningful right to bodily autonomy" – such as on reproductive matters. Her proposal reads:

"All people have the right to bodily autonomy consistent with the right of other people to the same, including the right to defend themselves against unlawful force and the right of self-determination in reproductive matters. The government shall take reasonable measures to protect the health and safety of the public as a whole."

https://www.foxnews.com/us/university-of-miami-law-professor-first-second-amendments

General Research #19260 >>>/qresearch/152255514

D.C. radio station is paid millions by the CCP to broadcast Chinese propaganda

Potomac Media Group's AM radio station is paid to air pro-China propaganda

The Chinese Communist Party's propaganda paid a Washington, D.C.-area radio station $4.4 million over the last several years to broadcast Chinese messaging, according to foreign agent disclosure filings.

The Potomac Media Group, headquartered in Virginia, disclosed its contract with the CCP's International Communication Planning Bureau in filings submitted to thee Department of Justice.

The documents, initially reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon, reveal that the group's radio station – WCRW – airs content from China Global Television Network, including a series of talk shows that portray China positively.

According to the contract, the CCP's Communication Planning Bureau – a branch of the party's Propaganda Department – can review and verify the information shared during broadcasts. And the media company is also required to provide the CCP with reports on programming metrics and audience feedback.

The $4.4 million in payments cover the time period from July 2019 to August 2021 and account for social media promotion, production of a talk show called The Bridge, and broadcasting China Global Television Network (CGTN) content.

According to the Beacon, WCRW has broadcast material from China Radio International, a state-run organization, for nearly three decades, though this is the first time the station is registering with the DOJ as a foreign agent of China. CGTN was made to register with Justice as a foreign agent in February 2019.

https://justthenews.com/accountability/media/dc-radio-station-paid-millions-ccp-broadcast-chinese-propaganda

General Research #19260 >>>/qresearch/15225570

Scandal: California 'Deputy Superintendent of Equity' Resigns After Illegal Hiring Revealed

A recent Politico investigation found that California’s first Department of Education deputy superintendent of equity, Dr. Daniel Lee ,was hired even though he “lives in Philadelphia and has a separate job there, more than 2,500 miles away” from the California schools he was charged with “fixing.” Afterward, California Assemblyman Kevin Kiley (R-06) sent a letter to the Government Operations Agency in Sacramento questioning the lawfulness of Lee’s hiring.

Remarkably, only a few days later Lee resigned from the position. However, if you’re like me and don’t live in woke world, you probably didn’t even know there was such a position as a deputy superintendent of equity; nor is it likely you know what such a creature does. Don’t worry, no one really knows what he does.

So how did Lee get this cushy no-show state job that pays nearly $180,000 in taxpayer-funded salary? Kiley said the brand-new position was created by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond specifically for Lee, his personal friend and former groomsman. On June 4, 2020, Thurmond announced several “multi-pronged partnerships and initiatives” to address so-called implicit bias and racism in California schools. Among those partnerships included in the announcement was “Dr. Daniel Lee, President-Elect for the New Jersey Psychological Association and Principal Consultant of N-PSY-T Psychological Services, who is developing a model for schools to address the impacts of implicit bias on student achievement.”

The Department of Education claims a deputy superintendent of equity concentrates on equity in areas like student counseling, social-emotional learning, and other educational programs—areas which Lee has no actual experience in performing within the academic setting of public schools. Of course, “equity” is that favorite woke term of the left designed to sound like “equality,” though it is in actuality anything but equal. “A good rule of thumb in California politics is when you hear the word ‘equity,’ something fishy is afoot,” said Kiley.

The Superintendent of Equity scandal illustrates a basic fact of life at the Capitol. Our politicians think they can get away with absolutely anything. https://t.co/UuufrRLtek

— Kevin Kiley (@KevinKileyCA) December 19, 2021

One has to wonder how someone in Thurmund’s position could possibly not know hiring Lee was at minimum unethical and at most illegal. Did he really think a scandal involving the hiring of his out-of-state, unqualified pal for a state position under his direct management was really the best way to “fix” California public schools? It does boggle the mind, but it’s the left we’re talking about here–so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he feigned that he didn’t know. At least Lee has resigned and (for now) none of California’s tax money is being wasted on a useless position.

Schools chief Tony Thurmond should repay taxpayers for illegally hiring his Philadelphia buddy as “Superintendent of Equity.” He has plenty of union money in his campaign account.

— Kevin Kiley (@KevinKileyCA) December 16, 2021

Still, many questions remain: Will Lee be required to repay the taxpayers of California in full? Will Thurmond be censured or otherwise punished for his illegal and nepotistic hiring practices? Should Thurmund be allowed to keep his job? Exactly how many other California bureaucrats have been hired under similar circumstances? Does California even need a deputy superintendent of equity in the first place?

https://pjmedia.com/uncategorized/gwendolynsims/2021/12/19/scandal-california-deputy-superintendent-of-equity-resigns-after-illegal-hiring-revealed-n1542673

General Research #19260 >>>/qresearch/15225592

Biden Bans Investment In Chinese Tech Firms Hunter Profited From

The White House is set to blacklist several Chinese Communist Party-linked tech firms including those counting backing from investment funds linked to Hunter Biden.

Adding to the 60 Chinese groups already on the “Chinese military-industrial complex companies” investment blacklist, among the eight companies added by President Joe Biden include Megvii. The technology firm’s facial recognition software has been linked to the Chinese Communist Party’s mass surveillance operations of Uyghurs in Xinjiang as reported by the Financial Times and, more broadly, the regime’s social credit score system.

The company’s deep ties to Beijing come amidst massive investment from BHR Partners – a private equity firm where Hunter Biden served as a director beginning in 2013.

The newfound designation, which bars American investors from taking financial stakes in the companies, follows a Trump-era decision by the Department of Commerce that placed the firms singled out by Biden on its “entity list.” This designation restricted American companies from exporting technology or products to specific Chinese companies without obtaining a special government license.

Also included in the Biden blacklist is the controversial Chinese drone manufacturer DJI.

Since 2017, China-based DJI has been identified by the Department of Homeland Security as “selectively targeting government and privately owned entities within these sectors to expand its ability to collect and exploit sensitive U.S. data.” These fears prompted the U.S. Department of Interior to ground its entire fleet of DJI drones, “citing increasing concerns about the national security risk from Chinese manufacturers.”

The Department of Defense and U.S. Army have also followed suit.

The National Pulse has revealed the Biden White House’s hiring of consultants who previously worked for a firm lobbying on behalf of the drone company, which has seen purchases from the Biden White House as recently as July.

As Axios notes, the Secret Service bought eight DJI drones on July 26th, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) purchased 19 drones a few days earlier.

https://thenationalpulse.com/news/biden-blacklists-tech-firm-hunter-profitted-from/

As World Weans Off Fossil Fuels, Norway Continues Hunt for Offshore Wells

Mike Schuler

December 20, 2021

By Lars Erik Taraldsen (Bloomberg) —

Equinor ASA will drill about 25 exploration wells off Norway’s coast next year in a bet that it will be among the last companies still producing oil and gas when the world has achieved net-zero emissions.

All scenarios, including the International Energy Agency’s vision of a net-zero world, include the continued use of oil and gas decades from now, albeit in smaller quantities than today, said Jez Averty, Equinor’s senior vice president for subsurface in the company’s Norwegian exploration and production department.

“The question is: Which oil and gas is it going to be?” Averty said in an interview. “Our plan, basically, is to make sure that the Norwegian continental shelf has the last drops, the last molecules, the last barrels to survive in that competition.”

Equinor says its oil and gas, the production of which generates fewer emissions than in some other parts of the world, will give it a lasting advantage in a carbon-constrained world. Yet the company still faces pressure from all sides.

Before an election earlier this year, there was a lively debate about whether Norway should be one of the first major oil and gas producing nations to choose to limit the extraction of fossil fuels. That was settled, for the moment, with the formation of a new minority government that is a big supporter of the industry and wants it “developed, not dismantled,” according to Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.

Still, its home nation, which is western Europe’s biggest oil and gas producing nation, has decided to temporarily stop awarding fresh exploration licenses in frontier areas next year.

Hydro-Powered Oil

To deliver future oil and gas resources that are as “clean” as possible, Norway aims to supply most of its offshore oil and gas installations with hydroelectricity generated onshore. This will allow the gas turbines that power offshore installations — the biggest emitters of carbon dioxide within Norway’s borders — to be shut down.

Equinor’s Johan Sverdrup oil field is already fully electrified. It started production two years ago and is expected to operate for more than 50 years. The process of extracting the crude emits 0.67 kilograms (1.5 pounds) of carbon dioxide per barrel, compared with the company average of 9 kilograms. The global average is 18 to 19 kilograms.

Yet Norway isn’t the only country with this idea. Saudi Arabia, leader of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, also says it wants to pump the world’s last barrel. The carbon intensity of the kingdom’s crude matches that of Equinor, at 9 kilograms a barrel, according to Oslo-based consultant Rystad Energy A/S.

There’s also the question of whether it will remain politically possible for Norway to remain as a major exporter of carbon-based fuels even as it implements its own emissions reductions, and strives for leadership in areas such as electric cars. Its neighbor the U.K. is already facing stiff opposition to new oil and gas developments on climate grounds, contributing to the shelving of the Cambo field earlier this month.

Even though lawmakers decided there won’t be a new licensing round for virgin areas in 2022, Equinor sees huge possibilities in the established parts of Norway’s waters. As much as 80% of its planned wells for the coming year will be near existing facilities. “The primary goal is to maximize value from the infrastructure,” Averty said.

Equinor will also be trying out new ideas, such as “using our geological modeling to see whether we can actually make discoveries in parts of the rock formations that haven’t been proven before,” Averty said.

https://gcaptain.com/as-world-weans-off-fossil-fuels-norway-continues-hunt-for-offshore-wells/

Nik'd from

General Research #19260 >>>/qresearch/15225800

General Research #19260 >>>/qresearch/15225874

Fuck COVID, this is America, Bitch!

https://twitter.com/themfingcoo/status/1472729096648069120?s=21

>>111854

Free Translator

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Pelosi’s Majority Crumbles: Longtime New Jersey Democrat Albio Sires Will Not Seek Reelection

by Jacob Bliss 20 Dec 2021

New Jersey Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ) will not seek reelection in 2022 and will retire after his current term in the House is complete, becoming the twenty-first Democrat to announce an exit from the House of Representatives, according to the New Jersey Globe.

The 70-year-old retiree is said to be making a formal announcement before the end of the year but confirmed on Sunday night to the New Jersey Globe he will not seek reelection. Sires’ retirement comes as the state’s Legislative Redistricting Commission considers new maps, but the open seat would reportedly not affect the maps.

Before becoming a member of Congress in 2006, Sires switched his party affiliation three times. He started as a Democrat and switched to the Republican party in 1985 before he initially ran for Congress in 1986. In 1994, he left the Republican party to be a registered independent, then rejoined the Democrat party in 1998.

While the Democrat’s district is solid blue, having received 74 percent of the vote in 2020 and voting for President Joe Biden with roughly the same margin — 73 percent to 26 percent — Sires’ retirement does not help House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) chances in the midterm elections.

Losing Sires, a close confidant to Pelosi who voted with her 100 percent of the time to help pass partisan agenda items, casts more doubt on her ability to maintain the majority in a newly elected congress.

Some of those partisan votes include the $1.2 trillion, 2,702-page so-called bipartisan infrastructure bill earlier this year — which Biden already signed into law — and the $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act (BBB) — also known as the Democrats’ reconciliation infrastructure bill.

However, while the BBB was considered to be the “marquee legislation” to Biden’s legislation agenda and would ultimately increase taxes on the middle class, expand and prolong the effects of inflation, and add hundreds of billions of dollars to the U.S. deficit, it was effectively killed by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV). The senator on Fox News Sunday this past weekend said, “I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation … I can’t get there.”

Sires becomes the twenty-first Democrat to announce retirement, as other older or more vulnerable Democrats have also announced they would leave their current seats. He is only the thirteenth Democrat to announce actual retirement from the public eye — including three committee chairs — while eight more Democrats announced they would run for a different office, either in a local or state election.

Breitbart News has extensively reported on Pelosi’s majority crumbling in the past and the Democrats’ struggles to keep members in the House and find new candidates to run for office. There have also been rumors of more Democrats abandoning ship in the coming weeks and months leading up to the midterms, as more redistricting maps are accepted and deadlines to file for reelection are getting closer.

There have been reports of Pelosi herself contemplating leaving elected office, but a recent report from CNN said she is planning to file for reelection in the San Francisco-based district next year. Pelosi “isn’t ruling out the possibility of trying to stay in leadership after 2022,” one source told CNN.

Additionally, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY), a close confidant to Pelosi, disputed the growing reports and speculation of him retiring, calling them “crap” and committing to “absolutely” running.

“Democrats have a full-blown retirement crisis on their hands and it’s only getting worse by the day,” said Congressional Leadership Fund Communications Director Calvin Moore. “Democrats are refusing to run again because they know their record of higher crime and soaring inflation will cost them their majority.”

Full Article:

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/12/20/pelosis-majority-crumbles-longtime-new-jersey-democrat-albio-sires-will-not-seek-reelection/

>>111857

You done said Mandarin

General Research #19261 >>>/qresearch/15226144

More Woke Companies To Avoid: List #4

https://thebluestateconservative.com/2021/12/20/more-woke-companies-to-avoid-list-4/

The epidemic of wokeness can infect companies in any industry. We’ve already seen it contaminate companies from the transportation, restaurant, banking, and online retail industries. Wokeness is all around us, and it’s unacceptable. Historically, many of these organizations are some of our favorite companies and brands who gladly take our money while trampling on our conservative values. Ceasing doing business with certain companies on our list may be difficult, if not impossible for some of us. But at the very least we must understand who these companies are if we want to have an impact.

The first three editions of this series are available here:

https://thebluestateconservative.com/2021/01/20/12-woke-companies-to-avoid/

https://thebluestateconservative.com/2021/11/29/more-woke-companies-to-avoid-list-2/

https://thebluestateconservative.com/2021/12/09/more-woke-companies-to-avoid-list-3/

[Note that prior to explanations and justifications for each company, we’ve listed the official company name, its stock trading symbol, the industry in which the company operates, and the company’s annual gross revenue and market cap (if available), with all figures represented in millions.]

#29: Best Buy

#30: Anheuser-Busch

#31: Quaker Oats

#32: Peloton

#33: Gap Apparel

#34: Dick’s Sporting Goods

#35: Door Dash

#36: Spanx

…moar at url..

Murphy, a leader of House Dem centrists, won't seek reelection

By SARAH FERRIS 12/20/2021 11:49 AM EST

Rep. Stephanie Murphy, a leading voice of House Democrats’ moderate wing, announced Monday she won’t seek reelection next fall in another stinging loss for her party.

The Florida Democrat — who flipped a GOP-held battleground seat in 2016 and helped write the party’s playbook for its House takeover two years later — said she is leaving the Hill to spend more time with her family, including her two school-aged children.

“It's been a real honor for me to serve in Congress, but it does come at a personal sacrifice. My time away has been hard on my family and my kids and on me,” Murphy told POLITICO.

A leader of the centrist Blue Dog Coalition, Murphy once mulled a challenge against Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) next fall. Instead, she said she will leave after finishing her current term in the House, where she and other moderates hope to help salvage President Joe Biden’s climate and social spending bill.

Murphy said she hopes “to open a new chapter in my life, one in which I can spend a bit more time with my family.”

Murphy is the 22nd incumbent House Democrat to forgo a reelection bid next year. The growing wave of departures comes as historical and political headwinds suggest a likely GOP midterm takeover, and as the House itself becomes a more toxic and stressful environment amid the twin calamities of Covid and the Capitol insurrection. Murphy, a member of the high-profile investigation into those Jan. 6 riots, has faced a dramatic uptick of threats against her and her family.

This spring, Murphy had privately planned for a Senate bid against Rubio, but dropped it after fellow Floridian, Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.), announced her own run. But while she publicly committed to running for reelection in the House, Murphy’s lackluster fundraising haul — just $140,000 in a quarter — fueled speculation that she had changed her mind. Some allies have suggested she could seek a statewide run in 2024 against Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.).

In an interview announcing her departure, Murphy did not rule out a run for a different public role in the future: “We’ll have to see what happens in the future.”

“When I left the Department of Defense, I knew then my time in public service wasn't over. And I kind of feel the same way now,” Murphy said.

Party leaders have sought to downplay the rush of retirements this year, as they attempt to hold onto their majority next November despite worsening political headwinds. But the Florida Democrat acknowledged that her departure is unlike many of her colleagues, who are leaving after decades in office or to seek higher office.

"I think it's hard for people in politics and especially in Washington to understand that someone at my age would quote unquote, retire … without having some sort of scandal or without fear of losing a reelection or without, immediately running for another position or job,” Murphy said. “But really, right now I need to be with my family.”

Murphy insisted her decision was not based on her own reelection chances — where the odds of her seat being winnable appear to have improved in recent weeks — nor the Democrats’ overall ability to keep the House in 2022.

“I’ve won every race I’ve ever run, in the face of really tough odds,” Murphy said, adding about her potential successor: “I am confident that I could win if I ran, but I'm not so arrogant as to believe I'm the only Democrat who can win.”

Murphy’s newly redrawn district is still likely weeks, if not months, from being finalized.

Florida is in the process of drawing new maps, and the state legislature will not meet until early next year to select a final version. At least one of those proposed maps from the state House would nuke Murphy’s central Florida district, but the state Senate drafts left Murphy with a clear path in a similar version of her current district.

“I think I could win in every one of the maps that has been proposed,” Murphy said.

More:

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/12/20/murphy-a-leader-of-house-dem-centrists-wont-seek-reelection-525750

General Research #19261 >>>/qresearch/15226168

Army: Hooah

Marine: Hoorah

Navy SPECWAR: Hooyah

Air Force: Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

General Research #19261 >>>/qresearch/15226183

Space Force: Uhhh… Commander…. The Tic Tacs pilots are giving us the finger again…

General Research #19261 >>>/qresearch/15226198

KEK

Coast Guard: sniff ARRRGGHHH this coke is high quality, sir….we have 300 kil…er…290 kilos onboard!

>>111879

So if the democrats are going to have all this money for their trillion dollar plans, but cost taxpayers nothing…. does that mean they are going to nationalize the pharma companies?

Have a request

I'm still banned for baking on QR

Someone please refer the anons on the qr UK bread to the UK bread here at:

https://8kun.top/midnightriders/res/3.html

Just finished posting some reference pics of the Corinthia Hotel in London so maybe provide some assist on a dig

Much Thanks!

Pfizer and Moderna shareholders pocket £7.8billion in a week after Omicron was discovered

EXCLUSIVE: Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel saw stocks increase by £623million

Top shareholders and bosses at Pfizer and Moderna made £3.9billion each

Campaigners slammed companies for creating the 'conditions for new variants'

By Joe Davies For Mailonline

Published: 13:53 EST, 3 December 2021 | Updated: 03:25 EST, 4 December 2021

Top shareholders at Pfizer and Moderna made more than £7.8billion ($10billion) in stocks growth in the week after the discovery of Omicron, MailOnline can reveal.

Shares in the pharmaceutical giants rose by 7.4 per cent and 13.6 per cent respectively in the seven days to November 30 — after South Africa alerted the world to the mutant strain on November 24.

Just eight stakeholders made £7.5billion figure between them. Moderna's chief executive Stephane Bancel pocketed £623million ($824million) in share growth alone — and sold 10,000 of his own stocks for $319 each on November 26 for a total of £2.41million ($3.19million) up front.

Some experts and politicians have blamed Britain and other western countries for for the emergence of the variant because they did not share sufficient spare vaccine doses with the rest of the world.

Campaign group Global Justice Now today slammed the two companies' shareholders and executives for profiteering off the result of 'grotesque' vaccine inequality 'they helped to create'.

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown last week claimed rich nations not sharing vaccines with the rest of the world is now 'coming back to haunt us' with the emergence of variants.

But other experts suggested low vaccination rates in South Africa are more down to vaccine hesitancy stifling demand so much that is had to delay delivery of dose rather than a lack of supply.

South Africa's deputy director-general of the Department of Health Dr Nicholas Crisp said the country has 'plenty vaccine and capacity but hesitancy is a challenge'.

Cases have risen meteorically in South Africa and while doctors insist the strain is milder, hospitals appear to be filling, surging 365 per cent to 279 today.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10272221/Pfizer-Moderna-shareholders-pocket-7-5bn-week-Omicron-discovered.html

>>111893

Yeah, I got banned for baking 17939

UK anons are back on the ROT 1 and other pics from Q drops concerning the Corinthia Hotel. They were wanting soe pics of the place for reference so I hit up metacrawler and posted a bunch to the Midnight Riders UK board to help but don't have a way to let them know

Special Prosecutor Releases Full Report on Investigation of Soros-Backed Prosecutor in Jussie Smollett Case

by Joel B. Pollak 20 Dec 2021

The office of Special Prosecutor Dan Webb released its full 60-page “summary report” Monday afternoon of its investigation into the office of Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx over her improper handling of the Jussie Smollett case in 2019.

Smollett was convicted earlier this month on five of six felony counts of disorderly conduct, relating to faking a hate racist and homophobic crime in 2019, blaming it on Trump supporters, and falsely reporting it to the Chicago Police Department.

Foxx, who was one of several left-wing prosecutors backed by billionaire Democrat donor George Soros in his effort to push “criminal justice reform” across the country, initially dropped criminal charges against Smollett, provoking public outrage.

There was suspicion of political interference, after Tina Tchen, a former aide to First Lady Michelle Obama, reached out to the prosecution on behalf of the Smollett family. Judge Michael Toomin ordered a special prosecutor to intervene, both to take up the Smollett case and to investigate Foxx and her subordinates at the Cook County State Attorney’s Office.

Last year, a 12-page summary of the summary was released, in which Webb revealed that while there were abuses of discretion and possible ethical breaches by Foxx and her office, especially in misleading the public about key facts like Smollett’s past criminal record, there had been no criminal violations and Tchen’s intervention had not been decisive.

The full 60-page summary provides the evidentiary basis for the shorter 12-page version. It includes details of interviews with Foxx and Tchen, as well as others involved, and refers to text messages and other bases for the report’s conclusions.

Some of the additional details include confirmation of earlier reports that Foxx’s office declined to notify Chicago Police Department Superintendent Eddie Johnson that it was dropping charges against Smollett. Johnson had been vocal in public about his disgust with Smollett’s evident attempt to fake a hate crime, wasting resources and diminishing real racism.

The full report also provides further detail about Foxx’s false statements that Smollett had no prior criminal record — when, as the 12-page report said, “a prior misdemeanor conviction out of California from September 22, 2007 for DUI, driving without a license, and giving false information to the police, for which he was placed on 24 months of probation.” The full 60-page report adds that false statements about Smollett’s record were “particularly troubling” because his prior conviction “related, in part, to making a false statement to police,” and was therefore similar to the present case in Chicago.

The newly-released report also delves into the question of Foxx’s false statements to the public that the evidence was too weak to convict Smollett — after she had said the opposite just days before, confusing everyone and raising suspicions.

The full report does not explain why Foxx dropped charges against Smollett, even though it found that she lied about when she stopped talking to Smollett’s family and continued to receive updates about the case after she had recused herself from it.

https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2021/12/20/special-prosecutor-releases-full-report-on-investigation-of-soros-backed-prosecutor-in-jussie-smollett-case/

>>111897

"Company" party going on maybe, ohessess seems to be afk

Europe Braces For Energy Crunch As Deep Freeze Sets In

Bloomberg

December 19, 2021

By Anna Shiryaevskaya, Jesper Starn and Isis Almeida (Bloomberg) —Europe is bracing for energy shortages this week as freezing weather is set to boost demand at a time supply just can’t keep up.

Temperatures are forecast to fall below zero degrees Celsius in several European capitals this week, straining electricity grids already coping with low wind speeds and severe nuclear outages in France. To make matters worse, Russia signaled it intends to keep natural gas flows through a major transit route to Germany limited on Monday after capping supplies over the weekend.

Energy prices have spiraled out of control this year, with European gas prices surging some 600%. As temperatures are forecast to briefly dip below seasonal norms at the start of the week, short-term electricity prices surged. In France, power for delivery on Monday rallied to the highest level since a rare spike in 2009, while Germany prices were the third highest on record.

Rising prices have fueled inflation, a headache for policy makers already contending with the spread of coronavirus omicron variant just before the holiday season. Geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine could also make things worse, with a potential invasion likely to send prices even higher.

Jeremy Weir, chief executive officer of commodities trader Trafigura Group, last month warned that Europe could experience rolling blackouts in case of a cold winter. And that was before Electricite de France SA said it was halting reactors accounting for 10% of the nation’s nuclear capacity, leaving the region at the mercy of weather at the height of winter in January and February.

With nuclear outages biting, electricity producers will have to use more gas to keep the lights on. But Russia has signaled it may keep flows into Germany via the key Yamal-Europe pipeline capped, potentially forcing Europe to reply on its already depleted gas inventories. Storage sites are only 60% filled, a record low for this time of year.

In auctions on Sunday, just 4% of capacity was allocated to send gas through Germany’s Mallnow station, where the pipeline crossing Belarus and Poland terminates. That compares with about 35% of capacity that Russia has booked for most days this month. Russia has also opted against booking extra pipeline space to flow more gas through Ukraine on Monday.

Russian gas giant Gazprom PJSC will have a last change to reserve extra capacity at numerous within-day auctions overnight, potentially averting Monday’s crunch. The surge in prices in Europe has already forced metals smelters and fertilizer producers to curb output, threatening to derail the region’s economic recovery.

While traders expect more liquefied natural gas to come to rescue due to lower demand in Asia, cargo diversions will take some time and increased arrivals at European ports are unlikely to come before January.

https://gcaptain.com/europe-braces-energy-crunch-as-deep-freeze-sets-in/

>>111900

Not at present

Total, Shell Emerge As Top Bidders in Brazil’s $2 Billion Offshore Auction

Reuters December 17, 2021

By Gram Slattery, Marta Nogueira and Sabrina Valle

RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec 17 (Reuters) – France’s TotalEnergies , Royal Dutch Shell, Petrobras, Malaysia’s Petronas and Qatar Energy scooped up bigoffshore fields in Brazil on Friday, raking in nearly $2 billion for the country’s cash-strapped government.

While TotalEnergies, Qatar Energy and Petronas won the rights to develop the coveted Sepia field, Brazil’s state-run Petrobras, formally Petroleo Brasileiro SA, later entered the consortium by exercising preference rights.

Petrobras, Total and Shell secured the nearby Atapu field.

The auction was widely seen as a test of Brazil’s investment climate and of large oil producers’ willingness to keep spending big on traditional assets. Officials, who had been keen to attract major foreign players, deemed it a success, and analysts said the offers agreed to were relatively rich.

The results suggested that some production assets can still fetch strong interest, even as traditional E&P budgets at the world’s top oil firms are increasingly constrained amid a broad shift toward green energy.

While the signing bonuses were fixed at 7.138 billion reais for Sepia and 4.002 billion reais for Atapu, the percentage of oil produced that will be handed over to the state, known as ‘oil profit,’ varied depending on the bidder. Oil profit for the winning Atapu consortium came to 31.68%, while oil profit for the winning Sepia bid came to 37.43%.

Bids “were high, which reduces returns,” said Marcelo de Assis, head of Latin America upstream research at Wood McKenzie. “They were more aggressive than we expected.”

Brazil-listed preferred shares in Petrobras were off 2.1% in afternoon trade, underperforming the nation’s benchmark Bovespa equities index, which had fallen 0.7%. London-listed shares in Shell fell 1.8% on Friday.

Brazil attempted to sell both fields in 2019, but neither received offers, even from Petrobras. At the time, complex legal issues and rich signing bonuses kept oil majors away.

This time, bidding terms were considered more attractive, several industry sources told Reuters, largely due to big cuts in both signing bonuses and minimum profit oil.

The fields are considered attractive as Petrobras has already discovered commercially recoverable oil in both blocks, eliminating exploration risk.

Eleven companies signed up for the chance to bid on Friday: Petrobras, Exxon Mobil Corp, Shell, Galp Energia SGPS SA , Chevron Corp, Ecopetrol SA, Equinor ASA, Enauta Participacoes SA, Petronas, TotalEnergies and Qatar Energy.

Petrobras holds a 30% stake in the winning Sepia consortium, TotalEnergies holds 28%, and Petronas and Qatar Energy hold 21% each. At Atapu, Petrobras holds a 52.5% stake, Shell has a 25% stake and TotalEnergies a 22.5% stake.

A second production unit is expected to be approved in the near future to increase Sepia’s overall capacity from 180,000 barrels per day (bpd) to more than 350,000 bpd, Qatar Energy CEO Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said in a statement.

Production at Sepia has plateaud at 160,000 barrels per day, although a second production unit yet to be approved will raise this to 350,000 bpd, TotalEnergies said in its own statement.

The two fields could boost Brazil’s oil production by 12% over the next decade and bring in almost $40 billion in investment, its Energy Ministry said on Monday. Petrobras is set to receive $6.2 billion for past investments in the two fields. ($1 = 5.68 reais) (Reporting by Gram Slattery and Marta Nogueira in Rio de Janeiro and Sabrina Valle in Houston; Editing by David Gregorio, Diane Craft and Alexander Smith)

https://gcaptain.com/total-shell-emerge-as-top-bidders-in-brazils-2-billion-offshore-auction/

>>111905 (me)

So Norway gonna keep drillin and Brazil boutta do a lot more pumpin

Seems to me like the "oh shit the blades don't turn with no wind, the panels do squat covered in snow and Greta will breathe Godzilla fire on us if we try to build nukes" is coming and these companies wanna do the Nelson and "HA HA"

with tankers full

>>111910

Now that's a wonderment

>>111918

UK anons are digging deep on those london pics and have been for several breads. That's why I wanted to let them know there's some pics for reference on the Corinthia Hotel at our side of the kun

>>111922

Much Appreciated!

>>111923

qr UK saw the post, just wondering if we meant endchan.

MR UK is at:

https://8kun.top/midnightriders/res/3.html

>>111935

Not sure but wouldn't surprise me.

They big skeered Orange Man will get back in the WH and get even, especially with so many dems not going for reelection