Surprise: Giant Offshore Wind Project Killed Off

By William Teach January 4, 2024 – 3:00 pm

At least they didn’t get a massive “loan” from Los Federales which will never be paid back

Giant offshore wind project axed in blow to Biden’s green goals

Global energy developers Equinor and BP on Wednesday announced they are canceling the contract for a massive wind project slated for construction off the coast of New York.

The two companies said they had reached an agreement with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to terminate the offshore wind renewable energy certificate for their Empire Wind 2 project. Equinor and BP explained that commercial conditions, namely inflation, interest rates and supply chain disruptions, prevented its contract for the project from remaining viable.

“Commercial viability is fundamental for ambitious projects of this size and scale. The Empire Wind 2 decision provides the opportunity to reset and develop a stronger and more robust project going forward,” Molly Morris, president of Equinor Renewables Americas, said in a statement. “We will continue to closely engage our many community partners across the state.”

That’s nice corp-speak for “this thing was a turd and we didn’t want to lose our shirts.”

“BP is supportive of NYSERDA’s leadership and commitment to offshore wind, which we believe is a critical part of New York State’s and America’s clean energy future,” added Joshua Weinstein, BP’s president of offshore wind Americas. “Offshore wind can deliver reliable renewable power as well as economic benefits to the state and its communities.”

Critical, but, not at the thought of losing lots of money

The cancelation of Empire Wind 2 comes weeks after the Biden administration formally approved it and its counterpart, Empire Wind 1, in November. The Department of the Interior (DOI) and Department of Energy (DOE) have both endorsed the project, while the White House has referred to it as a success story of “Bidenomics.”

Yup, that’s Bidenomics. Projects that are expensive and not “commercially viable.”

Read: Surprise: Giant Offshore Wind Project Killed Off »

Posted in Collapsing Science, Energy, Global Warming | 17 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach January 4, 2024 – 1:00 pm

…is a lovely house at the top of a hill, necessary for when the seas rise dozens of feet, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Jo Nova, with a post on what happens when you’re in a digital car.

Read: If All You See… »

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Heresy: Italian Chef Puts Pineapple On Pizza

By William Teach January 4, 2024 – 10:30 am

Burn the witch!

Italy divided over new pineapple pizza

Anyone who’s set foot in Italy knows there are unwritten rules that one must abide by – and the most important of all revolve around food. Cappuccino after 11 a.m.? Only for tourists. Spaghetti bolognese? A horrifying thought. Pineapple on your pizza? Heresy – at least, it was until now.

But 2024 might just be the year that pineapple pizza cracks Italy, thanks to Gino Sorbillo, the renowned Naples pizzaiolo (pizza maestro) who has added the dreaded “ananas” to his menu in Via dei Tribunali, the best known pizza street in the world capital of pizza.

Sorbillo’s creation, called “Margherita con Ananas” costs 7 euros ($7.70). But this isn’t your regular Hawaiian: it is a pizza bianca, denuded of its tomato layer, sprinkled with no fewer than three types of cheese, with the pineapple cooked twice for a caramelized feel.

Sorbillo, a third-generation pizzaiolo, told CNN that he created it to “combat food prejudice.”

“Sadly people follow the crowd and condition themselves according to other people’s views, or what they hear,” he said.

So, not only is he committing heresy, he’s doing it for some sort of weird food Social Justice. Stop. Just. Stop.

Tasty or not, pineapple on pizza is anathema to most Italians, and his pizza – which he launched on social media this week – hasn’t gone down well with many. It has, Sorbillo said, started “uproar” with insults on social media, and his pizza even being discussed on national TV.

Not tasty. No pineapple. Just like no anchovies. Or broccoli. Or carrots.

“But Italy is split in half about it. And not just Italy. There’s a load of arguments that have opened up about it. I think people in general are not curious. They are mistrustful of anything different.”

No, they just know that some things do not belong on pizza.

“In the last few years people have been using ingredients that five, six years ago were never used. Now we use speck from Alto Adige, mortadella which wasn’t used 10 years ago, chopped pistachios, powdered olives, mozzarella foam, even jams. Why shouldn’t we rediscover pineapple? Pizza has been taking on a new life for the past five or six years.”

There’s a reason things are classics, and others aren’t. There’s a reason people go for pepperoni first. I prefer a nice meatball. Not sprinkled ground beef, but, actual meatballs sliced and put on top. With enough sauce, and you have to use whole milk cheese. Not that part-skim stuff.

However, one thing he draws the line at is starting with a tomato base.

“That’s another fruit – with two fruits, which both have acidity it wouldn’t be a good product,” he said. “Instead, I put three smoked cheeses on, and it changes the pizza, becomes a different taste.”

No sauce no dice. Yup, I’m a pizza snob. But, then, I did grow up on the Jersey shore, where you can get a great pizza everywhere.

Read: Heresy: Italian Chef Puts Pineapple On Pizza »

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Hotcold Take: Britain Needs EV Road Tax To Avoid Gridlock

By William Teach January 4, 2024 – 7:00 am

Is anyone getting the notion that the Powers That Be do not actually want the peasants to actually be able to drive any vehicle? (via Not A Lot Of People Know That)

Tony Blair Institute calls for electric car road tax to avoid ‘gridlock Britain’

Tony Blair’s think tank has said Jeremy Hunt must “urgently” introduce a road tax which would make driving electric cars more expensive.

James Browne, senior policy adviser at the Tony Blair Institute (TBI), called on the Chancellor to introduce a new system of road pricing to stop the country becoming “gridlock Britain”.

Analysts have warned that the Treasury must step in to plug a £25bn black hole in the nation’s finances and stop traffic jams from surging as more motorists shift to electric vehicles (EVs).

This will happen because EV drivers do not pay fuel duty. As the Government phases out petrol cars as part of its push to get to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, this means Britain’s fleet of cars will become far cheaper to run.

As it becomes cheaper, people will drive more, while the Treasury’s tax take from fuel duty disappears.

Now, should there be some sort of road tax on EVs? Well, yes. Nothing wrong with that, the roads do need to be maintained, along with infrastructure. What Blair’s think tank wants to do, though, is have a very high tax which will make it almost too expensive for the middle and working class folks to drive.

Of course, this is a problem created by Government mandates. We’ve already seen issues where the gas tax revenue nose-dived in the Obama years when he increased the CAFE standards. Cars got better MPGs, so, less gas, plus, more hybrids being sold. So, they needed to raise the taxes. Now they just want you out of your car.

Read: Hotcold Take: Britain Needs EV Road Tax To Avoid Gridlock »

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Mike Johnson Goes To Border, Blames Let’s Go Brandon

By William Teach January 4, 2024 – 6:45 am

This has made CNN, and other Credentialed Media outlets, very upset

House Speaker Mike Johnson knocks Biden for ‘catastrophe’ at border during Texas visit

House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized President Joe Biden on Wednesday for the “mayhem” he witnessed at the US-Mexico border, saying in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper that the Biden administration isn’t doing its job.

“This catastrophe can come to an end if the Biden administration will do its job, and they refuse to do it,” he said.

Johnson traveled with more than 60 House Republicans on Wednesday to Eagle Pass, Texas, at the same time that Republican and Democratic Senate negotiators are trying to hammer out a bipartisan border agreement as part of a broader funding package for Ukraine, Israel aid and border security – and questions are swirling about how House Republicans would react should a deal be reached.

You can almost feel how upset CNN is over this, while failing to mention that neither Biden nor Kamala have been to the actual border. And you know CNN and the others would be raking Trump over the coals if the border was this bad while he was president.

In the interview Wednesday, Johnson threw cold water on the Senate negotiations, arguing the House Republican border bill passed last year was what was needed. But he also didn’t rule out putting a Senate bill to a vote, saying that it was too soon for him to say because there is no draft bill yet.

Johnson argued that the problem wasn’t going to be solved simply with more money – the Biden administration requested in its supplemental $14 billion for the border along with additional funds for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan – and said that the House-passed provisions were needed to reduce the number of people crossing the border.

“This is not about sending more money down here, it’s about changing the policy, and the White House seems not to understand that,” Johnson said.

It’s about the will to secure the border, and implementing policies that restrict the flow of people coming illegally as well as showing up and demanding asylum. About telling people to not come. About not giving them incentives to come. About deporting them quickly. Sticking with CNN

Biden administration sues Texas over state’s controversial immigration law

The Biden administration on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against Texas over its controversial immigration law that gives local law enforcement in Texas the authority to arrest migrants, arguing the state “cannot run its own immigration system.”

The move comes after the Justice Department threatened last week to sue Texas if it didn’t back down from the measure. It marks the second legal action against the state this week, as President Joe Biden and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott spar over the handling of the US-Mexico border.

Could this backfire awesomely? With courts ruling that the Biden regime is in gross dereliction of duty, with Texas having to do the job the federal government refuses to do?

Read: Mike Johnson Goes To Border, Blames Let’s Go Brandon »

Posted in Illegal Immigration, Joe Biden | 10 Comments | Trackback URL

Bummer: Human Evolution Could Stop “Us” From Solving Global Boiling

By William Teach January 3, 2024 – 3:01 pm

Apparently, we’re now going to change to something new really fast, unlike the rest of human evolution. But, then, this is a doomsday cult which thinks a slight increase in global temperatures over 170+ years is a terrible thing

Human evolution may prevent us from solving climate change, UMaine study finds

A new study led by an evolutionary biologist at the University of Maine has come to a grim conclusion: The very traits that have allowed humans to dominate the globe might prevent us from solving global environmental threats like climate change.

Since the origin of our species, humans have developed a keen ability to adapt to our environment, creating better and better technology – from primitive fishing weirs to the modern oil well – to exploit our natural environment, the study says.

When a resource starts to run low, or a method threatens our health or home, humans have a track record of moving to the next resource-rich area or fighting on the battlefield or boardroom over the scraps that remain rather than coming together to solve the problem.

“We’re entering a new era of the human relationship to the environment,” UMaine Associate Professor Tim Waring said. “Climate change is a global crisis. We can’t just move on or fight amongst ourselves. If we do that, it won’t go well for us. The nature of human evolution has to change.”

I’m thinking what they mean by “evolution” is really adaptation, which humanity has done for thousands of years, particularly through the Holocene

Humans have overcome environmental threats before, Waring noted. Throughout his career, he has found examples of communities, regions, nations and even groups of nations coming together to successfully address overfishing, whaling and acid rain.

Such successes usually had three things in common: the scope of the problem was smaller than the group of collaborators coming together to fix it, some external pressure existed to implement the solutions and something had happened to highlight the danger of doing nothing.

Sigh. These people really are a doomsday cult.

The global climate crisis is different, Waring said. The size of the problem exceeds the size of the group trying to fix it. The United Nations lacks the authority to enact or enforce solutions. And until recently, the bill to be paid for rising emissions seemed like it would never come due.

Humans must solve the climate problem before Earth reaches a tipping point, Waring warned.

OK, so, every Warmists needs to stop using fossil fuels, give up eating meat, only buy used clothes, live in tiny homes, and give all their money and freedom to government. That would solve what they’re pushing, right?

Read: Bummer: Human Evolution Could Stop “Us” From Solving Global Boiling »

Posted in Climate Cult, Global Warming | 17 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach January 3, 2024 – 1:00 pm

…is wood rotting from too much carbon pollution, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is This ain’t Hell…, with a post on an Iranian destroyer heading to the Red Sea.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 4 Comments | Trackback URL

Israel Wacks Deputy Hamas Leader In Lebanon

By William Teach January 3, 2024 – 10:30 am

Israel really isn’t playing around, as we’ve seen since the October 7th Islamist attack. The Mossad director said on (their Wednesday) “Any Arab mother should know that if their son was a partner to the slaughter of October 7, his blood is [in his own hands].” And they mean it

Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri killed in alleged Israeli strike in Beirut

Hamas’s deputy leader abroad Saleh al-Arouri, wanted for years by Israel and seen as the group’s prime orchestrator of West Bank terrorism, was killed Tuesday evening in an Israeli strike in the Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, officials with Hamas and the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah said.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said the blast was carried out by an Israeli drone.

Israeli officials declined to comment. Unnamed US officials told the New York Times and Washington Post that Israel was responsible.

The explosion shook the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs, which are a stronghold of Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas. The explosion caused a fire on Hadi Nasrallah Street, south of Beirut.

Hamas confirmed that seven people in total were killed in the explosion, a precision strike on a third-floor apartment said to serve as an office for the terror group. The others besides Arouri were identified as military commanders Samir Findi and Azzam Al-Aqraa, along with Hamas figures Mahmoud Shaheen, Muhammad Bashasha, Muhammad al-Rayes and Ahmed Hammoud.

They all get to learn if their 72 virgins are real. It’s great how they’re all hiding out away from Gaza, eh?

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has vowed to retaliate against any Israeli targeting of Palestinian officials in Lebanon. Arouri was regarded as close to Nasrallah, and was reportedly scheduled to meet with the Hezbollah leader on Wednesday.

Will they? Do they actually want to get attacked with the full fury of Israel like Hamas has seen?

(Jerusalem Post) The United States “disturbed the regional balance” in the Middle East, Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani said on Wednesday, after the targeted killing of Hamas’s deputy leader outside of Gaza, Saleh al-Arouri, along with at least five other people in an alleged Israeli drone strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

“We will see solidarity against American policies with such actions in the region,” the defense minister said on the sidelines of an Islamic Regime cabinet meeting, as per state-owned Tasnim.

“The consequences of this terror will be felt by [the US].”

Will they? Iran is great at making threats, but, they mostly use proxies to attack Americans in the Middle East, not wanting to risk the ire of the US. Even Let’s Go Brandon wouldn’t be able to ignore serious attacks by Iran. Especially since reports show that Iran is close to nuclear breakout.

Read: Israel Wacks Deputy Hamas Leader In Lebanon »

Posted in Israel, RoP | 6 Comments | Trackback URL

NY Times Has Already Decided What The Stories Of Climate Doom Will Be In 2024

By William Teach January 3, 2024 – 7:15 am

It’s fantastic how the news, which is meant to be stories that have happened, has already decided what they will fearmonger for 2024

The Big Climate Stories in 2024

Last year was the warmest in recorded history. What does 2024 have in store?

For starters, it is almost certain to be another scorcher. The naturally occurring El Niño will push up temperatures in much of the world and humans will continue pumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Weird how a natural process can juice the warm weather, but, the rest, or at least most, of the warming is All Your Fault. Then there’s the election

President Biden’s signature legislative success has been the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which turbocharged investment in clean energy. Biden has also strengthened emissions regulations and laid the groundwork for tackling industrial pollution. But more action looks unlikely if he fails to win a second term.

It’s working so well that almost no EV chargers have been built, companies given loans are collapsing, and the cost of energy has skyrocketed, causing problems for middle and working class Americans. Of course, the Fish Wrap is uber-concerned that Trump could kill off Biden’s initiatives.

Pressure has been building on the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to overhaul the way they help developing countries adapt to climate change.

In recent months, the World Bank has made some changes, agreeing to pause debt and interest payments for nations hit by natural disasters, and helping establish accountable marketplaces for carbon credits.

So, giving stupid loans and free money to 3rd world shitholes who won’t actually use the money for “green” stuff, all while China is building coal plants in those same countries.

One of the surprise stories of 2023 was the surge in climate-related lawsuits. Children and young adults in Montana won a victory against the state over its support of fossil fuels. California sued big oil companies, accusing them of downplaying the risks that global warming poses to the public. And municipalities in Oregon, New Jersey and beyond brought cases against companies like Exxon, Chevron and Shell.

Lawfare. Which hurts middle and working class Americans, as pushed by Leftist elites who fail to practice what they preach.

Expect the action and activism around climate issues to keep going strong in the year ahead.

Yet, the NY Times hasn’t given up their own use of fossil fuels nor made their operations carbon neutral. Go figure. That should be the number one story, that Warmists, especially the Elites, aren’t doing a damned thing to reduce their own use of fossil fuels.

Read: NY Times Has Already Decided What The Stories Of Climate Doom Will Be In 2024 »

Posted in AGW Idiocy, Global Warming | 27 Comments | Trackback URL

Trump To Make A Play For NY, NJ, NM, Va, And Minnesota

By William Teach January 3, 2024 – 7:00 am

Partly, um, why?

Exclusive — Trump Plans Aggressive Expansion of Electoral Map, Says He’ll Make ‘Heavy Play’ for New York, New Jersey, Virginia, New Mexico, Minnesota

Former President Donald Trump told Breitbart News exclusively that assuming he wins the GOP nomination for president again he will work to expand the universe of battleground states and aggressively compete against whoever Democrats nominate in states like New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Minnesota, and New Mexico.

Trump said he thinks he can compete in a number of states that Republicans have not won in many years in presidential elections. He said he plans to do rallies in these states, and work to try to win them—but maybe not as hard as the traditional battleground states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia. Trump even threw out a possible idea of renting out the iconic Madison Square Garden to hold a rally in the heart of Manhattan in New York City.

“One of the other things I’m going to do — and I may be foolish in doing it — is I’m going to make a heavy play for New York, heavy play for New Jersey, heavy play for Virginia, heavy play for New Mexico, and a heavy play for a state that hasn’t been won in years, Minnesota,” Trump said in the more than two-hour-long interview at his luxurious seaside Mar-a-Lago resort here.

Asked what he means by make a “heavy play” for states like New York, New Jersey, Minnesota, Virginia, and New Mexico, Trump said he plans to do rallies and speeches in those states as he campaigns for the presidency in the general election.

Yes, he would be foolish to do this in several of those states. Making a play for Virginia makes sense, with a popular GOP governor. Though Trump got blown out in 2020 and lost by 6 in 2016. So, probably a waste of time. A Republican has only won New Mexico once out of the last 8 elections, Bush in 2004. Barely. A Republican hasn’t won Minnesota since 1972, and only 3 times since 1932. It was close in 2016, but, the state keeps importing lots and lots of people from 3rd world Muslim nations who vote Democrat. Perhaps if they refuse to vote Biden, but, it’s best just to leave it alone. Don’t entice them to hold their noses even while they’re upset that Biden supports Israel.

NJ? A Republican hasn’t won since 1988, and it hasn’t been close. Ciattarelli gave it a go in the 2021 governors election, losing by 3.2%. Trump won’t have a chance. NY? Hasn’t been a GOP win since Reagan in 1984. Lee Zeldin gave it a shot in 2022, but, even with people being very upset with Commissar Hochul and her authoritarian COVID policies, he still lost by around 6 points. Trump has zero chance.

The thought is surely “well, I’ll make Biden or whatever Dem is running put lots of time and effort into those states instead of in battleground states.” With a normal candidate that might make sense, and, any candidate has to at least show up and do a little in safe Blue states, but, this is Trump: he might have a tough time winning those states he needs to win. Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Michigan. If he wants to make a play, go for Nevada. It’s just 6 electoral college votes, but, worth it, might give a little buffer. Retake Georgia (16 ECs), Arizona (11 Electoral College votes), and Michigan (16 ECs) and that’s 275 electoral votes if he keeps the states he won in 2020. Pennsylvania is 20 ECs and Wisconsin is 10.

“I’m going to do rallies, I’m going to do speeches, I’m going to work them,” Trump said. “That doesn’t mean I’m going to work them as hard as I work Pennsylvania, where I’m doing very well.”

I damned well hope not. My concern, beyond all the other concerns with Trump, is that he doesn’t focus where he needs to.

Read: Trump To Make A Play For NY, NJ, NM, Va, And Minnesota »

Posted in Donald Trump | 2 Comments | Trackback URL
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