Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Dr. Strangelove]

Bill Gates just turned on his vaccine tracker and filtered to all single women (no kids) between 25 and 45 in the Seattle area.

[Mike]

That's the smart play.

[Jeff Buchanan]

That fucker has the potential to be the ultimate sugar daddy. He has lots of really cool toys: massive yacht that gets replaced every 2 or 3 years because the Russian mafia overlords keep getting bigger ones' than his; jets, multiple homes.

[Da Geezer]

And while we're forcing territories into becoming states, why not add American Samoa? How about Guam? Shoot, offer statehood to The Philippines. Lets spread out all over the globe. Let freedom ring!!!!

I say move the Federal District to PR. Give Washington back to Maryland. At least having all the bureaucrats in PR would simplify future needs in terms of firing every last one of them

[Mike]

Have any of you been following this showdown between Whitmer and Enbridge Energy, and by extension the Canadian government, over Line 5?

For those unfamiliar, Line 5 is a pipeline that carries oil from Alberta's tar sands all the way down to Ohio and into Ontario via Sarnia. It enters Michigan in the western U.P., crosses through the Straights of Mackinac, and then down through SE Michigan and points elsewhere. It carries 540,000 barrels per day and is used in refineries in Detroit and Toledo and is turned into propane in Canada. I've read conflicting data on how much of the energy is consumed in Michigan. Enbridge claims "Families and businesses in the Upper Peninsula rely on Line 5 to meet 65% of their propane demand. Similarly, Line 5 delivers 55% of Michigan's statewide propane needs." https://www.enbridge.com/Line5 I've read elsewhere that Michigan only uses very little of the oil that flows through the pipeline and that it is mostly destined for eastern Canada.

Whitmer has declared that the line must be shut down by May 12 and this has, obviously, created much tension between the governments of Michigan and Canada. Opponents of the pipeline have centered their argument on the issue of potential leaks into the Great Lakes - a legitimate concern for sure. OTOH, There has been a push by Enbridge to build an underground pipeline encased in concrete that would run under the straights, thus alleviating the concerns of oil leaks/spills. But there is push back on that idea as well. The primary argument re: new tunnel is that fossil fuels are on their way out so why should we spend on infrastructure for something that will be obsolete or unnecessary in the not too distant future? I contend that that is a foolish take but this is what they're going with.

As Canadian officials lobbied a Michigan Senate committee in March to keep the Line 5 pipeline open, Sen. Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) grew frustrated with a conversation that, up to that point, had focused mainly on the immediate economic and safety implications of a possible shutdown.

“We are at a moment of inflection on our energy future,” said Brinks, and will soon have no choice but to stop burning oil and other fossil fuels to power our vehicles and homes. Additional investment in the pipeline, she said, “does not seem to be the most enlightened way to go forward.”

“Do you want to be an investor that’s going to say ‘I want to invest a billion dollars in infrastructure that’s already been replaced?” said Mike Shriberg, regional executive director for the National Wildlife Federation. “Because in those four or five years, whatever it takes to build it, probably more like seven or eight, the demand is going to go down and the alternatives will be in place.”

https://www.michiganradio.org/post/l...re-or-bad-deal

There's a lot to learn and absorb, at least for me. Wapo had a really good article about it on Sunday but it's paywalled and I can't open it anymore. The above article from Michigan Radio/NPR is also a really good source of info as it quotes many of the opponents of the pipeline and provides a clear view of their rationale. Line 5 seems to be a line in the sand for progressives. Cutting off 540,000 bpd is gonna have a pretty big affect on the price of fuel in the states and provinces who have been relying on it. I believe this is currently working its way through the courts.

[iam416]

They're wrong -- massively wrong -- when they say it'll be replaced in 5 years.

Again, cheap energy and the ability harness said energy has done more to lift the human condition than any single thing. Ever. Full stop. I remain utterly flabbergasted that, e.g., NATURAL GAS, is now the enemy.

I guess the upside is that ultimately Chairman Joe is going to give away a fuck ton to someone like Amtrak and it'll prove to be a disastrouly hilarious decision that may jar people out of their trances.

[crashcourse]

https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/...mpression=true

FYI article written byDr. STEVEN E. KOONIN is a leader in science policy in the United States. He served as undersecretary for science in the U.S. Department of Energy under President Obama, where he was the lead author of the department’s Strategic Plan and the inaugural Quadrennial Technology Review (2011). With more than 200 peer-reviewed papers in the fields of physics and astrophysics, scientific computation, energy technology and policy, and climate science, Dr. Koonin was a professor of theoretical physics at Caltech, also serving as Caltech’s vice president and provost for almost a decade.


stupid global warming

South America (Brazil and Uruguay) saw tens of thousands of cattle freeze to death in the past few months because of record cold temperatures during their summer. The US saw literally thousands of low temperature records fall this last winter as well as record breaking snowfalls. Greenland saw record breaking snowfall amounts. Europe just experienced the coldest April in decades. Like the US, numerous record cold temperatures fell, some records dating back over a century. Madrid, for example, got tons of snow in mid April. Recent data for April (mainly because I don't feel like going back through the past few years of data):

Netherlands had the most amount of snow days and snow amount in April since 1977, which coincided with the solar minimum of sun cycle 20.

Poland had its coldest April since 1997, which coincided with the solar minimum of cycle 22.

France declared an agricultural disaster because of cold temperatures in April. The Rhone Valley, for example, lost 80-90% of their wine crop because of cold temperatures.

Britain had the coldest April since 1922, which coincided with - big surprise - the solar minimum of sun cycle 15. April in Britain was the third coldest April since 1884. And while it is early in May, Britain is seeing frosts in their most southern reaches even now. If temperatures continue as they have, Britain is on record for the coldest May since they began keeping records in 1659. But, again, it's early in May.

[lineygoblue]

A nice two-month update on where Texas stands after Governor Abbot implemented his "neanderthal" "culture of death." https://www.nationalreview.com/corne...oing-in-texas/

I'm thinking this somehow, some way plays into the Ds massive failure to grasp basic facts re Covid, but I still can't figure it out. I still can't quite solve the mystery of why so many so well-educated people would be so wrong about Covid.

Its not about being right or wrong.

Its about being against anything that the orange man did that helped things along. Just the other day, a talking head on MSNBC tried to give Chairman Joe credit for Operation Warp Speed. Can't let orange man get credit for something that worked.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Aside from the importance of natural gas, I will say that pipeline and gathering companies generally have a poor reputation in eastern Ohio among landowners. Worse than the E&P companies. Not all but many have a tendency to be bullies in dealing with landowners, a "you're going to take this offer or we'll use eminent domain" sort of approach. And a pipeline is going to do way more damage to your property than signing an oil & gas lease is going to do unless you're a padsite, in which case you get extra compensation. Some people with empty land couldn't care less...others who have farms and are going to lose a significant amount of acreage might be insulted at a one-time lowball offer.

Even local people I've met that are very high on oil and gas will speak badly of the pipeline guys. Just something to add to the conversation...not all the opposition is from people that are tree-huggers.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Heh, I was trying to remember if Enbridge was the name of the company that was colluding with Chesapeake to keep lease prices down, but that was actually a different Canadian company called Encana.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-chesapeake-antitrust-settlement/chesapeake-reaches-25-million-michigan-settlement-over-leasing-charges-idUSKBN0NF1ZV20150424

Which apparently got rebranded as "Ovintiv" and left Alberta for Denver instead. Check out this headquarters they built in downtown Calgary in 2013 before leaving just a few years later. Companies burned through some cash back in the ol' $100 oil days

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bow_(skyscraper)

[CGVT]

Jesus. I read liney's posts and think this thread can't get any more ridiculous, then crashcourse shows up.

crashcourse is liney's Mississippi. Ha!

[lineygoblue]

Glad you're still reading, CGVT. Keep those cards and letters coming. Its fun to know that I can draw your attention any time I like.

[lineygoblue]

Dr. Fauci says we are "in the bottom of the 6th" when it comes to fighting the Corona virus.

https://www.foxnews.com/health/fauci-says-us-is-in-bottom-of-the-sixth-in-covid-19-timeline

So if we run with that analogy does that mean he's the starting pitcher, and its time for him to head for the showers?

[UMStan White]

'So if we run with that analogy does that mean he's the starting pitcher, and its time for him to head for the showers?"

HEH!

[Mike]

That guy became a human dial tone back in the 2nd inning.