Jeff Bezos’ Superyacht Generates 447 Times The Yearly Carbon Emissions Of Average US Household

by

FYI.

– Jeff Bezos’ Superyacht Generates 447 Times The Yearly Carbon Emissions Of Average US Household:

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ triple-masted $500 million superyacht is far from climate-friendly, generating hundreds of times the annual carbon footprint of a typical American household. 

At 417 feet, “Koru” is the world’s largest sailing yacht. It produces a whopping 7,154 tons of greenhouse gasses on a per-annum basis, or about 447 times the entire annual carbon footprint of the average US household, the New York Post reported, citing Indiana researchers. 

* * *

PayPal: Donate in USD
PayPal: Donate in EUR
PayPal: Donate in GBP

French government takes aim at covid “conspiracy theorists” and complementary and alternative medicine in draft bill to combat sects

by

–  French government takes aim at covid “conspiracy theorists” and complementary and alternative medicine in draft bill to combat sects:

In mid-November, the French Senate reviewed a draft law that aims to crush dissent using hefty fines of up to EUR 15,000 and threat of jail time.  Anyone daring to criticise medical treatments could fall foul of this law.  Considering the “covid vaccines are safe and effective” false narrative propagated by the government, this law is nothing short of outrageous.

* * *

PayPal: Donate in USD
PayPal: Donate in EUR
PayPal: Donate in GBP

25% Of Americans Are Still Paying Off 2022’s Holiday Debt

by

– 25% Of Americans Are Still Paying Off 2022’s Holiday Debt:

Just in time for the end of year spend-a-thon that is the holidays in the United States, many Americans are still grappling with the debt they took on a year ago, a new report from CNBC and WalletHub says.

The WalletHub survey revealed the result of an online survey taken by nearly 250 respondents:

  • Skipping Presents: More than 1 in 3 Americans are foregoing gifts this year due to inflation.
  • Lingering Holiday Debt: Nearly 1 in 4 Americans still have holiday debt from last year.
  • New Credit Card: Nearly 1 in 5 people will apply for a new credit card to help with holiday shopping.

    Read more25% Of Americans Are Still Paying Off 2022’s Holiday Debt

Consumers Use ‘Buy-Now, Pay-Later’ Option To Fund Record Black Friday Purchases

by

– Consumers Use ‘Buy-Now, Pay-Later’ Option To Fund Record Black Friday Purchases:

Data from Adobe Analytics revealed that online sales on Black Friday reached $9.8 billion, marking an increase of about 7.5% compared to the previous year, according to Bloomberg. This trend indicates encouraging signs of consumer spending despite dismal sales forecasts for the holiday season. Nevertheless, data showed consumers were putting more purchases on flexible payments.

Consumers were gobbling up electronics, smartwatches, TVs, and audio equipment last Friday, with sales of those electronics up 7.5% compared with the previous year. Data showed consumers were increasingly resorting to buy-now, pay-later options, which jumped 72% compared to the week before Thanksgiving.

The buy-now, pay-later option is surging because consumers are balancing other debt, such as student loans or credit cards, amid the highest interest rates in a generation. These short-term loans allow consumers to make installment payments over a few months.

Read moreConsumers Use ‘Buy-Now, Pay-Later’ Option To Fund Record Black Friday Purchases

64 US Bank Branches File To Shut Down In A Single Week; Are You Affected?

by

– 64 US Bank Branches File To Shut Down In A Single Week; Are You Affected?:

Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,

Big banks such as PNC Bank and JPMorgan Chase have filed to close several branch offices in multiple states amid a troubling pattern of rising branch shutdowns in recent years.

Between Nov. 12 and 18, several banks filed to close branch locations, with PNC Bank with the most filings, according to data from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Pittsburgh-based PNC Bank filed for 19 branch closures—five in Pennsylvania, four in Illinois, three in Texas, two each in Alabama and New Jersey, and one each in Indiana, Ohio, and Florida.

JPMorgan Chase followed closely with 18 filings—three in Ohio, two each in Connecticut and South Carolina, and one each in 11 states, including New York, Illinois, Florida, and Massachusetts.

Citizens Bank came in third with eight branch closure filings—six in New York, and one each in Massachusetts and Delaware. Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank filed for seven closures—three in Tennessee and one each in Missouri, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Illinois.

Bank of America made five filings—two in New York and one each in Texas, Massachusetts, and California.

Citibank filed for two branch closures, and Sterling, Bremer, First National Bank of Hughes Springs, Windsor FS&LA, and Aroostook County FS&LA made one filing each.

Altogether, banks filed to shut down 64 branches.

Read more64 US Bank Branches File To Shut Down In A Single Week; Are You Affected?

Bona Vacantia! King Charles Siphoning Dead Brits’ Assets Meant For Charity Via Medieval Law

by

– Bona Vacantia! King Charles Siphoning Dead Brits’ Assets Meant For Charity Via Medieval Law:

Britain’s King Charles has been siphoning tens of millions of dollars intended for charity, thanks to a medieval law called “bona vacantia,” (vacant goods) which transfers the assets of those who died in a particular region without a will or known next of kin to the duchy. With said funds, Charles has been upgrading a commercial property empire managed by his hereditary estate.

Over the past 10 years, over $75 million in funds have reportedly been collected, despite pledges that the proceeds from such transfers would be donated to charity (of which only 15% has been directed), The Guardian reports.

Read moreBona Vacantia! King Charles Siphoning Dead Brits’ Assets Meant For Charity Via Medieval Law

Europe Is Getting Record Amounts Of Russian Gas Through TurkStream. So Who Keeps Trying To Blow It Up

by

– Europe Is Getting Record Amounts Of Russian Gas Through TurkStream. So Who Keeps Trying To Blow It Up:

The TurkStream pipeline, which brings natural gas from Russia to Türkiye across the Black Sea and then into southeastern Europe,  was controversial in certain quarters of the West ever since it was conceived.

Now the flow of natural gas to Europe from Russia via Türkiye is reaching all-time highs. TurkStream has a capacity of 31.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year, roughly half of which stays in Türkiye, and the rest continues on to the Balkans and Central Europe. Serbia and Hungary are the primary European consumers. According to S&P Global, supplies via TurkStream into Southeast Europe rose strongly in July, reaching a record monthly high.

As the gas flowing through the pipeline increases so do the attempted attacks. The Russian Defense Ministry said that three unmanned Ukrainian speedboats carried out an unsuccessful attack against the Russian warship guarding a portion of the pipeline in May. When that failed, Ukraine apparently doubled down and tried again with six high-speed drone boats in June. That attack was also thwarted by Russian forces.

Read moreEurope Is Getting Record Amounts Of Russian Gas Through TurkStream. So Who Keeps Trying To Blow It Up

Israel Accuses Spain, Belgium Of Terrorism ‘Support’ After PMs Criticize Gaza Destruction

by

– Israel Accuses Spain, Belgium Of Terrorism ‘Support’ After PMs Criticize Gaza Destruction:

In a move that could prove costly, the Israeli government has erupted in anger after the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium criticized Israel for its attacks on Gaza in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel — even going so far as to accuse the two countries of “support [of] terrorism.”

The diplomatic crisis started with remarks by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Belgian PM Alexander De Croo on their two-day swing through Israel, Palestinian territory and Egypt.

The pair held a joint press conference at the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing into Gaza.  First acknowledging that “Israel has the right to defend its citizens,” De Croo said “too many civilians have been killed” in Gaza. “We cannot accept a society [being] destroyed the way the society of Gaza is being destroyed…The military operation that Israel is conducting to stop the terrorist attacks must respect international humanitarian law.”

De Croo also demanded a stop to violence being perpetrated against Palestinians by Jewish settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Even before the Oct 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel, 2023 was already considered the worst year for settler violence in more than a decade. Since, settlers have ramped up their killing of Palestinians, leaving threatening leaflets ordering them to leave their homes, blocking roads with boulders, cutting electricity lines to Palestinians’ homes, shutting down water wells and destroying olive trees.

Sánchez was more pointed: “The indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians, including thousands of boys and girls, [is] completely unacceptable.” In addition to his remarks at Rafah, Sánchez also voiced his concern about the Israeli Defense Forces conduct while speaking next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Read moreIsrael Accuses Spain, Belgium Of Terrorism ‘Support’ After PMs Criticize Gaza Destruction

Watch: British High Court Officer Tries To Break Into Home To Collect On Unpaid TV License Fees

by

– Watch: British High Court Officer Tries To Break Into Home To Collect On Unpaid TV License Fees:

For many years the BBC has denied that they are a government funded or subsidized organization.

They base this claim on a dishonest technicality – The platform argues that it is purely supported by public dollars, as if it is the same as PBS in America.  What it doesn’t mention is that the government helps to strong-arm the public into paying that money to the BBC through enforced TV licensing.

And, if citizens are caught using a TV for the consumption of a list of taxable content sources without paying the fees, they can be fined or even jailed if they refuse to pay those fines.

The cost of a TV license in the UK is £159 per year.  BBC outsources their sales process to a third-party company called Capita, who operate under the TV Licensing brand name. Capita’s salesmen rebrand themselves as “Enforcement Officers” or “TV License Inspectors”. This creates a false impression of legal authority, used to coerce victims into cooperating.  BBC send salesmen to visit unlicensed addresses from their database. These salesmen receive a commission not only for every TV license they sell, but also every successful prosecution they obtain. They therefore attempt to collect evidence of unlicensed TV viewing during their visits.  UK police are brought in to oversee the inspections carried out by Capita if there is resistance.

As insane as this probably sounds to most people in other countries, it gets even worse.  If authorities believe you are watching BBC related content without a license, they can visit your home to collect on fines, and with a warrant, this includes breaking and entering to search your property.

Read moreWatch: British High Court Officer Tries To Break Into Home To Collect On Unpaid TV License Fees

Females And Young Adults At Higher Risk Of COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects: Study

by

#KillShot…

– Females And Young Adults At Higher Risk Of COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects: Study:

Authored by Marina Zhang via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Females and young adults are at an increased risk of suffering from side effects after COVID-19 vaccinations. People who take three doses as compared to two may present different side effects, a Japanese study finds.

The study published on Scientific Reports in November studied 272 hospital employees who received the Pfizer vaccine as a second dose between January to June 2022.

None of the participants had a prior history of COVID-19 infection, and all of their symptoms were examined and diagnosed by doctors at the hospital.

They found “higher frequencies of COVID-19 vaccine-related side effects” and “worse outcomes with longer recovery from side effects” among females and younger adults compared to males and elderly adults, the authors wrote.

Read moreFemales And Young Adults At Higher Risk Of COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects: Study