[FoxNews] Europe’s climate-consciousness is hardly paying off for European families who face startling energy blackouts this winter amid a dangerous energy crisis. The energy shortage is largely due to an over reliance on solar and wind generated power made worse by Europe’s 2015 Paris Climate Accord agreement, which mandated the closing of coal-fired power plants and replacing them with less reliable wind and solar power alternatives.
There is no doubt that unpredictable energy sources such as these cause unnecessary suffering, financial strain and even illness among the most vulnerable. Americans should take heed from Europe’s misguided energy strategy and misplaced reliance on wind and solar power, or else watch many regions of the United States endure lengthy power shortages.
As the colder months roll in, Europe could soon face temporary cuts in cell phone and internet service, school closures from a lack of lighting and heating and even traffic jams from underpowered traffic lights. In Germany, a country heavily dependent on Russian gas due to its shuttered nuclear power plants, candle sales have skyrocketed in anticipation of power blackouts. In fact, electric car owners in Finland are being told not to heat their vehicles on frigid mornings to avoid straining the electrical grid.
In the United Kingdom, energy companies have made a game of saving energy during peak usage times by bribing participants to sit in the dark in exchange for prizes and monetary savings. The message from the UK is clear: you might suffer this winter, but you will suffer with a savings and a smile. The truth is that alternative energy sources proposed by Europe are far from a smart investment for families suffering from low energy production.
When it comes to relying on wind power, sometimes the wind just doesn’t blow. Europe experienced this phenomenon in 2021 when a drastic reduction in wind caused a decrease in energy generation by wind turbines. Just recently, wind power production in the UK fell from 28% of overall energy production to just 3%.
Due to a lack of wind power, the UK’s reliance on coal for energy outperformed wind and solar even though the country has nearly banned its coal production entirely. The reliability of coal is so obvious that the nation is beginning to reinvest in coal mines to keep the plants open for business. Still, it’s doubtful such reinvestment will spur an uptick in reliable energy in time to protect its citizens from frigid winter temperatures.
Solar energy, on the other hand, has proven to be just as unpredictable in its output, despite Europe’s aggressive commitment to the source. Since Russia cut gas supplies after Europe’s sanctions over the war in Ukraine, there has been a sharp increase in demand for natural gas, forcing prices to rise higher and higher as a result. But this is a bad omen for elderly, lower-income Europeans ill-equipped to deal with the consequences of supply chain issues.
Ordinarily, Europe sees an increase in winter deaths but over 100,000 Europeans could die from high energy prices this winter, according to a study by The Economist magazine. If each country experiences its coldest winter since 2000, the death toll could rise to 185,000. But even if the temperatures remain at usual levels, 147,000 more people could die from cold-related illnesses than if the electricity costs stayed at 2015-2019 averages.
In the United States, European-style energy policies likewise cause tragic consequences with little benefit to Americans. Due to the Biden administration’s inflationary policies, U.S. electricity prices have more than doubled. Oil and natural gas prices have done the same. Hundreds of people in Texas died in February 2021 after frozen wind turbines triggered blackouts. Meanwhile, the administration plans to replace fossil fuel power with wind and solar by wrapping up $369 billion in climate spending in the Inflation Reduction Act.
If energy policymakers don’t stop soon, they risk turning the United States into a European "green" energy nightmare. That’s the last thing Americans want or deserve. Congressional leaders on both sides of the political aisle should take heed of the clear European warning signs before it’s too late and American citizens are left in the dark.
#1
In my late teens and early 20s, I used to go to a restaurant that served a 28 oz New York Strip for my birthday dinner. I had no problem eating it all. A couple days ago, I ordered a club sandwich for lunch and had to take half of it home because I could barely eat the other half.
For 30 years, "breakfast" was a 20 oz cup of gas station coffee on the way to work.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/25/2022 5:16 Comments ||
Top||
#2
For 30 years, "breakfast" was...a coke and a cigarette on the drive in to work.
#3
I don't regret giving up the ciggies. But I did date a girl who said when she turned 70 she was gonna start up again. I liked the pragmatism of that...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/25/2022 6:11 Comments ||
Top||
Roman Emperor and General Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (later known as Augustus Caesar) was the great-nephew and adopted son and heir of Julius Caesar. After the assassination of Julius Caesar, Augustus Caesar formed the Second Triumvirate along with Mark Antony and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. Togther they hunted down the assassinators of Julius Caesar and also oversaw the outlawing of 300 Roman senators.
After the Triumvirate's term expired in 33 BCE, Augustus Caesar and Mark Antony began to turn on each other. Although Antony was married to Augustus' sister, he lived openly in Alexandria with Cleopatra. Augustus Caesar worked to turn Roman public opinion against Antony, and after he obtained a copy of Antony's will that promised substantial lands to his children with Cleopatra, was able to convince the Roman Senate to revoke Antony's powers and declare war.
After the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra and the end of the civil war, Augustus Caeser worked to covertly consolidate power. On January 16, 27 BCE the Senate gave him the new titles of Augustus and Princeps, effectively marking the end of the Roman Republic and the begining of the Roman Empire.
Birth Location: Rome
Birth Date: September 23, 63 BCE
Death Location: Nola, Italy
Death Date: August 19, 14 CE
US service members and veterans of Twitter: We want to hear your stories about spending Christmas in combat https://t.co/NHdgYVdiaV
Oven Grilled Bacon Wrapped Chicken Skewers
Katerina | Diethood
Crispy bacon wrapped around juicy chicken bites makes for one delicious and perfect low carb, Keto friendly dinner! Or an appetizer!
Servings : 5 serves
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Resting Time
5 mins
Total Time
35 mins
INGREDIENTS
▢1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut up into 1 inch to 1-1/2 inch pieces
▢1/2 tablespoon olive oil
▢salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
▢1/4 teaspoon smoked or sweet paprika
▢1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
▢1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
▢1/4 teaspoon onion powder
▢1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
▢1/4 teaspoon dried basil
▢10 to 12 bacon slices, cut in half, crosswise
▢5 to 6 grilling skewers (I use metal skewers for the oven, but if you use wooden skewers, please soak them in water for 15 minutes prior to adding the chicken to the skewers.)
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350F.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Set a wire rack on top of the baking sheet and spray with cooking oil; set aside.
Cut up your chicken into 1 to 1-1/2 inch pieces and place them in a large mixing bowl.
Drizzle with olive oil and stir.
Season with salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, and dried basil; mix around until well combined.
Wrap each piece of bacon around each chicken piece, and thread 5 to 6 pieces onto each skewer. You want to pack them close together on the skewer so that the bacon slices stay intact.
Arrange skewers on top of previously prepared baking rack.
Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and bacon is crispy.
Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes.
Serve.
GRILL METHOD:
Prepare the chicken skewers.
Heat up grill to medium-high heat.
Oil the grates really well to prevent bacon from sticking.
Arrange chicken skewers on the grill and cook for 4 minutes.
Turn over, and, optionally, brush with your favorite barbecue sauce to keep it moist; continue to cook for 4 minutes.
Turn over again, brush with barbecue sauce, and continue to cook for 4 more minutes, or until done. Chicken is done cooking when internal temperature reaches 165˚F.
#4
^ Should I care if some fanatic's "interpretation" of the Bible suggests people should not enjoy themselves?
No.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/21/2022 10:06 Comments ||
Top||
#5
5 One person values one day over another, another values every day the same. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and the one who eats, does so with regard to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and the one who does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat, and he gives thanks to God.
--Romans 14:5-6
Posted by: Tom ||
12/21/2022 13:53 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
#15
Pre-cooking what I can for Christmas Eve dinner to reduce the mess tomorrow — we celebrate in honour of Mr. Wife’s family — the menu of which changes in accordance with my mood and energy. This year we’re doing an Indonesian reis tafel, with chicken mango curry, potato sambal, cucumber-banana raita, mango chutney, bananas and raisins sautéed in butter, ginger-cauliflower soup, and so forth. We rarely travel to Buffalo, NY at Christmas time because of the risk of getting snowed in, exchanging Xmas gifts when the family gathered for Thanksgiving — so I don’t actually know what he grew up eating for the holiday.
As we’ve done since the trailing daughters were little and hadn’t yet decided what they believed, we’ll talk about the history of the holiday and sing along with Mr. Wife’s Christmas soundtrack playing in the background. I was fine with however the tds felt they needed to understand the universe — my mother’s German has been half Jewish and half Christian for generations without any problems, and I was perfectly willing to continue that tradition should the girls make that choice — but they needed to understand the underpinnings of the options in order to decide on more than frilly white first communion dresses and the esthetics of the building housing the worshippers.
I turned ten pounds of mixed russet and Yukon Gold potatoes into latkes last week before Hanukkah started — they freeze beautifully, and go straight from freezer to oven just before serving — thinking that would be enough to get us through the eight days of Hanukkah. But it turns out that was only enough for the first two days. I don’t understand why the original recipe called for only 2 lb. of potatoes — did the recipe writer expect a modern miracle of the potatoes to feed the family for the entire length of the holiday with that?
Thank you for posting this discussion prompt, 746. It was a good idea.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/23/2022 19:59 Comments ||
Top||
#17
Slow cooker salisbury steak here.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/23/2022 20:00 Comments ||
Top||
#18
Re #1 (Adult BMI calculator): the problem with using only BMI to measure fitness, is that it doesn't work for everyone. For example, according to Wikipedia, when Arnold Schwarzenegger was competing, he weighed 235 lbs. He is 6'2" tall. So his BMI is 30.2, which makes him "obese". If you look at the accompanying picture, he is definitely not obese.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
12/23/2022 20:06 Comments ||
Top||
#19
^ BMI. Brought to you by the same people who promoted the "food pyramid."
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/23/2022 20:18 Comments ||
Top||
#23
It got down to 30 overnight here on the Space Coast. We're just a bit too far north for the paralyzed iguanas, so no easy pickins tree chicken here.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/24/2022 7:02 Comments ||
Top||
#24
Today is the bigger feast cause it's also my b'day.
Prime rib roast, mashed taters, glazed carrots, gravy, yorkshire puddin', salad & deserts that my wife the baker turns out.
Tomorrow on Xmas we graze all day and then have Lasagna (don't ask).
#26
I used to love to cook. Now I can't because of health issues. Cracker Barrel was willing to sell us a complete Thanksgiving dinner that was so good we got a Christmas dinner. I expect it to be just as good, if not better, and I won't lose any fingers making it. Win-win.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2022 10:34 Comments ||
Top||
#27
God bless the Pruitts, all the Mods, and the rest of the Rantburgers
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/24/2022 10:39 Comments ||
Top||
#28
Due to a surgery and other illnesses in the family unit, we're opting for the less fussy rought and going the full ‘Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakki’ and having KFC.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
12/24/2022 10:39 Comments ||
Top||
#29
Dittos, Frank G.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
12/24/2022 10:40 Comments ||
Top||
#30
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/24/2022 11:54 Comments ||
Top||
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/24/2022 13:05 Comments ||
Top||
#33
Merry Christmas y'all. Family is having a huge ham this year. As to Glenmore and his Covid. The family here had an attack at the beginning of the month. (2nd time for us except the 90 something MIL first time was early 2020 and this time Moderna made no difference... that said we gave the MIL Paxlovid and it STOPPED COVID DEAD!)
Woodrow - Lutefisk --- ARGH No!. To bad I am allergic to the milk in both Swedish meatballs, lefse. Are your Swedish meatballs made with coffee? If so what works better Ethiopian, Kenya, Columbia, Brazil, Central Am. or SE Asian coffee in your meatballs?
#35
Dittos to Frank G! We are all very lucky to have this site to read unfiltered news and opinions. I don’t know when this site started exactly, I know it was shortly after 9/11 I believe, but I think I’ve been reading stuff here for almost 20 years. I have posted only a few times, under different names. Hit the tip jar several times. I remember when Google worked, sort of. That’s how I found this site. I was looking for information on where Bin Laden was hiding. The only suggested place was a spot called Waziristan. When I googled that word I came to Rantburg. Practically the only place on the net, at that time, with discussion about this.
Sorry for the sidetrack. We are all very blessed here. Merry Christmas to all!
And let’s save this country when we are done eating!
#39
Merry Christmas to all, to Fred and his wonderful wife, all the mods, especially the delightful Periwinkle moderator.
Out here in the idyllic Puget Sound, north of the Seattlestan swamp, the Ret fambly is about to set down to Mrs.Ret’s lasagna, and tomorrow is a British themed dinner, the centerpiece of which is SIL’s prime rib. We made it thru the ice and wind unscathed.
Our Christmas wish is for all to have a great Christmas, looking forward to a better 2023.
[PJMedia] Egypt’s Ministry of Endowments recently announced a new record: 1,200 new mosques were opened in the year 2022.
Moreover, in the two years between September 2020 and September 2022, a total of 3,116 mosques were opened (2,712 new; 404 renovated).
Since Abdel Fateh al-Sissi became president in 2014, the total number of mosques to be opened, repaired, or replaced — costing Egypt more than ten billion pounds — is 9,600.
(One can almost hear the "holy shit! Allahu akbars!")
What about the religious places of worship that, for centuries before Egypt’s conquest by Moslem Arabs, dotted that nation’s landscape — namely, Christian churches? How fare they?
As is well known, when it comes to any question concerning the indigenous Christians of Egypt, the Copts, and their churches, accurate information — especially by way of numbers — is difficult to ascertain from the official channels.
As such, I contacted and spoke with one of the most astute analysts on the so-called Coptic question, the Egyptian-born Magdi Khalil, an author and public debater (appearing in approximately 1,500 televised debates, including on Al Jazeera) who specializes in citizenship rights, civil society, and the situation of minorities in the Middle East.
During our phone conversation, Khalil offered up the best-known figures he has been able to ascertain, after making clear that, "as you know, there are no absolutely accurate numbers from Egypt that aren’t politicized."
He said there are a total of approximately 5,200 Christian institutions in Egypt, including all churches and monasteries from every denomination. As for Islamic institutions, there are 120,000 mosques and over one million prayer halls in the country.
This disparity alone underscores the extreme discrimination Christians face in Egypt. Considering that Copts of all denominations make up, at the very least, 10% of Egypt’s population of 104 million, there is one mosque or prayer hall for every 83 Moslems, but only one church for every 2,000 Christians.*
In 2016, a new Egyptian law was touted as "easing" restrictions on and helping many more churches to open. Since its implementation, however, human rights ...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... groups have noted that it has only marginally helped. Khalil agreed, and said that at best, the 2016 law has made a "5-10 percent improvement." But, by applying only to churches, as opposed to being a universal law for all religious places of worship, the new law has also formalized the Egyptian government’s divisive ...politicians call things divisive when when the other side sez something they don't like. Their own statements are never divisive, they're principled... — or in Khalil’s words, "racist" — approach to its citizens. He is not alone in making this charge; even Human Rights Watch says that the new law ultimately "discriminates against the Christian minority in Egypt."
Along with the ease Egypt grants to the building of mosques, often overlooked is the fact that the government also completely subsidizes a great many, if not most, of Egypt’s mosques. (Over 4 billion Egyptian pounds are paid annually by the state to subsidize the Ministry of Islamic Endowments, which is charged with affairs related to mosques and Islamic da’wa [propaganda]. Moreover, 22 billion Egyptian pounds are annually paid to Al Azhar, which has a parallel educational system, or madrasa, from KG to university, with 2.8 million pupils and students.)
Conversely, not only does Egypt make it immensely hard for Christians to open or maintain churches, but the government does not contribute a "single penny" to their survival, said Khalil. Churches are even required to pay their utility bills, which no mosque in Egypt does, as the government happily picks up their bill.
Aside from the obvious discrimination and legal obstacles the government of Egypt has set up against churches, Khalil and I also spoke a bit about the Moslem mob violence that sporadically rises up against Christian places of worship. According to Khalil, "close to one thousand churches have been attacked or torched by mobs in the last five decades [since the 1970s] in Egypt." This is a much larger number than is commonly assumed.
Khalil closed by saying, "The persecution of Egypt’s Christian Copts is the longest ongoing persecution in the history of mankind, from 642, to today, 2022. Through all this time, maybe 70 years under British occupation were peaceful and good — the "golden era" for Copts in all this duration. Then [during the colonial era] there was much more diversity in the government, including some Coptic ministers, etc. But the overwhelming majority of the time witnessed the Copts’ persecution."
"I know of no group," concluded Khalil, "that has been persecuted for nearly 1400 years — with still no light at the end of the tunnel."
*93.6 million Moslems divided by 1.12 million mosques and prayer halls, versus 10.4 million Christians divided by 5,200 churches.
[Brighteon] Diana West is the author of amazing deep dives into the influence of communism on the American establishment. During this interview, I was astonished by the new connections she has made, for example, between Russia Gate—the fake attempts to link President Trump to Russia—and the communists ties of those who were perpetrating the false charges against the President. Diana also helped deepen the connections between COVID-19 and communist ambitions to overthrow Western Society. Two of her books, American Betrayal and The Red Threat, are an absolute necessity for understanding the decline of America into totalitarianism and what must be done to reverse. No one else is as intensively and deeply committed to unearthing the truth in this hidden area of our lives—the influence of communism over American life. She also provides a significant analysis of President Trump’s failures to deal with COVID-19. Like her earlier appearance on the Dr. Peter Breggin Hour, this is one of the most important interviews I have ever conducted. Our new book: COVID-19 and the Global Predators: We are the Prey, can be found everywhere now online including Amazon and Barnes and Nobles.
[Dawn] After analysing the overall law and order situation in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa during the outgoing year, the police department has declared South and North Wazoo, Lakki Marwat and Bannu districts as terrorist trouble spots.
"Southern districts, including North and South Waziristan [from among the newly-merged tribal districts] as well as Lakki Marwat and Bannu districts [from settled areas], are trouble spots," additional inspector general of police (operations) Mohammad Ali Babakhel told news hounds here on Friday.
Mr Babakhel said that the annual analysis of the security situation revealed a surge in the number of extortion calls from Afghanistan after the Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... ’s takeover of Pakistain’s Western neighbouring country.
He also said that the number of assassinations against police increased in 2022 compared with the previous year.
The police official said that the exit of foreign troops, including the US and allies, from Afghanistan left behind arms worth Rs7 billion that were "bound to end up in someone’s hands."
He said that the number of suicide kabooms in the province also escalated in the outgoing year, while most of the extortion calls received by the local residents were made from Afghanistan.
"Our neighbourhood [Afghanistan] is primarily the origin of extortion calls. Some small-time Mister Bigs were also involved in these crimes," he said.
Mr Babakhel said that the counter-terrorism department arrested 158 extortionists wanted in 81 cases, while 62 suspects were taken into custody for kidnapping people for ransom.
He said that the CTD arrested 806 krazed killers, including 90 with head money, and killed 196 bully boyz during operations in the province.
The police official said that 2,609 "threat alerts" were issued with 93 per cent of them being general and six specific.
He also said 129 alerts involved people and 41 alerts were for different locations.
Mr Babakhel said that 118 police personnel were killed and 117 suffered injuries in operations against criminals, including terrorists.
He also said that the police arrested around 129,637 outlaws and seized 22,416 weapons and 511,447 rounds of bullets in 20,601 "search and strike operations" across the province in the outgoing year.
"The presence of bully boyz in Swat ...a valley and an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistain, located 99 mi from Islamabad. It is inhabited mostly by Pashto speakers. The place has gone steadily downhill since the days when Babe Ruth was the Sultan of Swat... and other Malakand areas was reported by the media, and everyone saw an immediate response to it by our police," he said.
The police official said the police carried out a total of 1,877 search and strike operations and 148 intelligence-based operations in Malakand district during 2022 leading to the killing and arrest of several bully boyz and extortionists.
Mr Babakhel said that the anti-state elements and criminals didn’t deserve any concession, so the police bosses had ordered a strict crackdown on them according to the law.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/25/2022 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11130 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[FoxNews] Europe’s climate-consciousness is hardly paying off for European families who face startling energy blackouts this winter amid a dangerous energy crisis. The energy shortage is largely due to an over reliance on solar and wind generated power made worse by Europe’s 2015 Paris Climate Accord agreement, which mandated the closing of coal-fired power plants and replacing them with less reliable wind and solar power alternatives. 
[Brighteon] Diana West is the author of amazing deep dives into the influence of communism on the American establishment. During this interview, I was astonished by the new connections she has made, for example, between Russia Gate—the fake attempts to link President Trump to Russia—and the communists ties of those who were perpetrating the false charges against the President. Diana also helped deepen the connections between COVID-19 and communist ambitions to overthrow Western Society. Two of her books, American Betrayal and The Red Threat, are an absolute necessity for understanding the decline of America into totalitarianism and what must be done to reverse. No one else is as intensively and deeply committed to unearthing the truth in this hidden area of our lives—the influence of communism over American life. She also provides a significant analysis of President Trump’s failures to deal with COVID-19. Like her earlier appearance on the Dr. Peter Breggin Hour, this is one of the most important interviews I have ever conducted. Our new book: COVID-19 and the Global Predators: We are the Prey, can be found everywhere now online including Amazon and Barnes and Nobles.
Some striking parallels of 'betrayal' from the not too distant past. 
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
