Minor Notes From All Over, Part 1 -- June 19, 2019

Updates

Later, 8:59 p.m. CT: from NewsMax, May 13, 2019 --

It appears that Iceland won’t have to be renamed Tepidlandia anytime soon after all.

According to researchers at the University of Iceland, each of the country’s glaciers will expand this year for the first time in the past 25 years.

As reported in Electroverse, the Hofsjökull, Langjökull, Mýrdalsjökull, and Vatnajökull glaciers have expanded over the last twelve months, from autumn to autumn, "With Mýrdalsjökull showing a really significant addition of ice this year."

These are the largest glaciers in Iceland: Hofsjökull is third largest after Vatnajökull and Langjökull, while Mýrdalsjökull is the country’s fourth largest ice cap.

The research study project manager, Finnur Pálsson, observed that he regarded the reversal to be "unusual."

He noted that Langjökull had been losing around one and a half meters of ice per year for the past 20 years, "but in the last few years he has been close to zero, that is, he has neither expanded nor diminished. And that applies to this year, both for Vatnajökull and Langjökull as well."

Read Newsmax: Growing Iceland, Greenland Glaciers Makes Scientists Gasp | Newsmax.com

Original Post

Major Greenland glacier growing: data points -- this is from NASA, and if you can't believe NASA who can you believe?

• Jakobshavn Glacier in western Greenland
• world's fastest-moving glacier
• one of the most active; discharging a tremendous amount of ice from the Greenland Ice Sheet -- with implications for sea level rise
• the glacier has spent decades in retreat -- but between 2016 and 2017, an unexpected advance (as in growing -- for Occasional-Cortex) -- this would correlate with Solar Cycle 24
• in addition to growing toward the ocean (again, as in "getting bigger"), it is also slowing and thickening (as in "getting bigger")
• new data collected in March, 2019, just a couple of months ago, confirms that the glacier has grown for the third year in a row
• how is that possible? scientists attribute the change to cool ocean waters
• much more at the link
• public school teachers in the US will not discuss this at risk of losing their jobs
• by the way: "havn" is "haven" for "harbor," as in safe haven --

Solar Cycle 24 ending; solar cycle 25 beginning -- changeover during the 2019 - 2021 time-frame;

• cycle 24: sun less active than "normal' -- less sunspot activity; cooler solar system
• cycle 25: scientists predict the next cycle to be similar to cycle 24; I have no idea how scientists can forecast solar activity; my hunch: they read the Farmers' Almanac

Speaking of NASA: I hear Occasional-Cortex wants to put a man on the Sun by the end of the decade. 

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Disclaimer: I am inappropriately exuberant about the Bakken.

Iran: the tanker that waited three weeks to discharge an oil cargo at the Sicilian port of Milazzo has left the terminal after Italy's Eni rejected the shipment because of quality concerns. Italian press alleged the crude could be from Iran.

The ship’s documents show that the cargo, which Eni bought from the trading arm of Nigeria’s Oando PLC, was Iraqi, an Eni spokesman said. Instead, it had properties which were consistent with Iranian crude, a person familiar with the matter said.

Investing: with a photo of the Phillips 66 logo, this headline -- "dividend stocks, hot this year, may get even hotter thanks to the Federal Reserve. Story here.

Dow: up 38 points.

Zacks: five energy and oil stocks to buy amid industry uncertainty.

• CVX: I find this so interesting; for years, CVX was the "dog" among the group; XOM was always favored; with a P/E of 17, pays just less than 4%; price appreciation is forecast for a 14% gain within twelve months;
• EPD: ranks #1 by Zacks (strong buy); with a P/E of 14, pays over 6%; price appreciation is forecast for a 20% gain within twelve months;
• Equitrans Midstream (ETRN): also ranks #1
• Ecopetrol SA (EC): ranks #2. I had not heard of this one -- based in Colombia; major petrol company in South America
• Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD): has popped up on many, many lists over the past few months (years?)

Yahoo financial analysts: "They will know tomorrow why yesterday's forecasts did not happen today."