Notes From All Over -- The Norwegian Vaccine Edition -- December 26, 2020

CKD Corporation, Japan-based, is building its first US production site in Austin, TX. Texas ranks first in a survey as the top state for foreign direct investment; Texas is also the top Free Trade Zone in the country. The company produces a variety of automation technology products used in many industries, including automotive, packaging and medical. Its new manufacturing facility will produce fluid control components for the semiconductor industry. Can anyone say "Tesla"? Companies expanding in or re-locating to Texas are tracked here.

China flu watch. It really appears California was ill-prepared for any major contingency. In the big scheme of things, the pandemic is a fairly minor "event." Think one nuclear missile, or a nuclear plant meltdown, or a 100-unit Bakken oil train derailing. And yet now they're reporting there is not enough "oxygen" in hospitals to manage the influx of Covid patients. North Dakota's penetration rate is just under 12%; the national "average" / rate is right around 5%; and, California? Less than the national average, although not by much. 

Norway: from Facebook today.

NFL: none of the three NFL games are easily found on television today. The first and third games are only on the "NFL Network." The second game is available only on Amazon Prime. Link here.

But the really good news: Knives Out is available on Amazon Prime. 

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Friends

Amazon

Updates

March 20, 2022: Amazon cancels plans for fulfillment center in Churchill, PA. Community opposed for fulfillment center. 

March 17, 2022: Amazon completes $6 billion acquisition of MGM. 

February 2, 2021: Bezos steps down as CEO; new CEO is/was the head of AWS. 

February 2, 2021: UPS profits surge on back of Amazon deliveries.

January 22, 2022: Netflix collapses. Simply too much competition and now critics are saying Netflix paid too much for "content."

January 5, 2021: up, up, and away -- Amazon Air; link here;

January 4, 2021: Amazon buys eleven "new" aircraft. Timing was impeccable. Airlines have excess aging a/c due to Covid-19-reducing flying and now, the Boeing 737 Max is back on line and airlines can't dump their aging a/c fast enough. In addition, they need the cash. What a great country. Free market capitalism. 

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Brick And Mortar, Literally, Brick And Mortar

Fulfillment centers and delivery stations:

• Sioux Falls, SD: Amazon announces first fulfillment center in South Dakota. Press release.  December 26, 2020.
• Waco, TX: Amazon expanding throughout Texas; new fulfillment center in Waco is latest endeavor. December 26, 2020.
• Lakeville, MN: to launch in 2021. December 26, 2020.
• Carencro, Louisiana: to launch in 2021; will be first AFFC in Louisiana. December 26, 2020.
• San Antonio, TX: two new AFFCs and a delivery station announced for the city. December 26, 2020.
• Oklahoma City, OK: new AFFC to launch in this city in 2021. December 26, 2020.
• North Little Rock, AR: new AFFC to launch in this city in 2021. December 26, 2020.
• Missouri City (Fresno - Houston), TX: new AAFC to launch in this city in 2021. December 26, 2021.
• Las Vegas, NV: three new facilities to be launched in Las Vegas area in 2021. December 26, 2021.
• Richmond, TX: just outside the Houston metropolitan area to the west, this AFFC is under construction and will open in 2021. December 26, 2020.
• Hampton Roads, VA: new delivery stations to open in 2021. December 26, 2020.
• Greece (Rochester), NY: new facility in 2021, under construction. Possibly another one in the same area, Gates, NY.
• Columbus, Ohio: new delivery center to open in 2021. December 26, 2020.
• Worcester, MA: a delivery station to open in 2021. December 26, 2020.
• Waynesboro, VA: Amazon will use empty Kmart building for delivery station, to open in early 2021. December 26, 2021.
  

Cloud computing services:

• Philadelphia, PA: Amazon to expand cloud computing services in 2021. December 26, 2021.
  

Acquisitions

Wondery. A killer podcast startup. December 31, 2020.

Miscellaneous

Fee changes:

• delayed until June 1, 2021, to give sellers "some breathing room" at a hectic period in the middle of a pandemic. Link here. December 26, 2020. 

Growth, in 2020:

What's striking about the information in the letter from Amazon's Jeff Wilke is that Amazon built out its platform during the pandemic. 

"We've increased square footage across our fulfillment and logistics network by 50%, opening dozens of new delivery stations and fulfillment centers around the world. 

We've hired over 400,000 employees in the biggest peacetime workforce ramp-up by any company in history. 

And we've spent more than $2.5 billion on pay incentives and bonuses." December 26, 2020.

Chinese Flu Watch -- Boxing Day, 2020

Updates

December 30, 2020: see note / graphic below regarding Olympics 2020ne. Now this:

 Original Post

"We're over-quarantining kids like crazy." The WSJ. Link here. 

Link here.

• US: active cases decelerating.
• California: active cases decelerating; can't catch Tennessee.
• Tennessee: still number one but active cases decelerating.
• California, #2; Oklahoma, #3; Alabama, #4; and, Arkansas, #5.
• New York: new cases rising once again;

Japan. Link here. No way will Japan open its doors to thousands of athletes and tens of thousands of foreigners for Olympics 2020ne. 

Sweden: the stories ZeroHedge is no longer linking. LOL.

• how Sweden's prime minister plans to save his career from coronavirus [spoiler alert: the Cuomo ploy -- blamer others]
• Sweden and Japan are paying the price for Covid exceptionalism, The Conversation;
• Sweden's Covid-19 failures have exposed the myths of the lockdown skeptics, NewStatesman;
• the inside story of how Sweden botched its coronavirus response; Foreign Policy;

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This Must Have Been Exciting

That Spam Shortage Said To Be Due To Covid-Related Production Problems -- Fake News -- Connecting The Dots -- December 26, 2020

Next thing we will see reported by the US mainstream media: a shortage of Oreo cookies.

If you are not aware of the Spam shortage in the US, let me know and I will nominate you for the Geico Rock Award.

We've discussed it before on the blog. 

My sister couldn't find Spam for her traditional Christmas Adam dinner so she had to resort to a store-brand "spam," of which there is no shortage. 

There is no Spam shortage. 

Jeffrey Epstein didn't hang himself.

And Trump didn't lose the election; it was stolen. 

McDonald's is buying all the Spam they can get and sending it to China. And how did this become a "thing" in China? Chinese visitors to Hawaii who can no longer get to Hawaii due to Covid-19, have found a way to make Spam sandwiches even better. 

Screenshots below.

First, the fake news that the mainstream media bought into:

Second, the real reason there's a shortage of Spam in the US:

Third, tell me again there's a shortage of spiced ham sandwich meat in the US. There are so many knock-offs. Give me a break. The bad news: at least one of these (the one I've tasted) tastes better than the "real" Spam. 

Week 52: December 20, 2020 -- December 26, 2020

Video of the week:

• Sophia rock-climbing.

Top story of the week:

• Biggest disappointment: Covid-19 relief bill (and still not passed);
• The WPX Topaz wells in the Bakken (see links below);

Top international non-energy story:

• Covid-19 out of control in Sweden; interestingly, this is the one story ZeroHedge is no longer reporting;
• Variants of Covid-19 popping up worldwide;

Top international energy story:

Top national non-energy story:

• Huge explosion in Nashville thought to be intentional;
• Still no charges in South Dakota attorney general in hit-and-run;
• Mortgage rates hit record low for record 16th time this year;
  

Top national energy story:

• December propane exports hit all-time high;
• FANG buys QEP; fanciful evaluation;
• CBR derailment in Washington State; sabotage considered; and, here;

Top North Dakota non-energy story:

Top North Dakota energy story:

Operators:

• MRO reporting huge wells in Reunion Bay;
• Several WPX Arikara wells going over 500K bbls crude oil cumulative;

Operations:

Fracking:

• Commentary; the Topaz wells here;

Wells of interest:

• Slawson Submariner Federal goes over 500K bbls crude oil;
• Nine-year-old CLR well produced over 630K bbls crude oil in last two years;
• An incredible XTO Little Pete Federal well;
• Two huge CLR wells returning to production;
• MRO with another record well;
• A huge Bruin Fort Berthold well returned to production;
• A WPX Roggenbuck well goes over 500K bbls crude oil cumulative;
• An old XTO State well with huge jump in production;
• A Bruin Fort Berthold well goes over 500K bbls crude oil cumulative;
• A Newfield Syverson will with nice jump in production;
• The incredible WPX Topaz wells; and, here;

Boxing Day -- December 26, 2020

Active rigs:

$48.20	12/26/2020	12/26/2019	12/26/2018	12/26/2017	12/26/2016
Active Rigs	13	56	68	53	41