AI prompt: What's the story with the partnership supporting Wikipedia: Microsoft, Meta, Amazon?
AI reply:
On another note: it won't be long now until we see the end of paywalls. I'm sure paywalls will last forever, but their "utility" is now gone with the ease and ubiquity of AI. If you see a headline but the story is behind a paywall, simply cut and paste the headline in google and you will have the story, in a better format than the story behind the paywall would have had.
*************************** Rambling Thought
The longer it's been since my folks died, the more difficult it becomes for me.
I now understand why it's so necessary for kids given up for adoption to find their biological parents. If I could do this over, I would start with asking my mom how she and Dad came up with names for their six children and go from there.
I can't think of anything more precious than the whole child birth thing. Regardless of the circumstances.
January 18, 2026 : a reader suggested this was all political theater.Senator John Hoeven (R-ND) is a significant, credible, and trusted voice in the US Senate. My hunch: the US Congress in general, and specifically Senator Hoeven, is the target of Hamm's threat to stop drilling, to gain pushback against Trump if the president continues to push for lower oil prices.
Original Post
Harold Hamm: a reader just wrote me, thank you. Remember that story earlier today that Harold Hamm may quit drilling in the Bakken because of low oil prices? Based on oil prices in 2020 (that's why I posted those prices) Harold Hamm's "oh-pity-me" announcement seemed not to ring true. In fact, for quite some time now Harold Hamm / CLR has had only one active rig in the Bakken. For him to make the announcement that he may quit drilling in the Bakken -- I'll repeat what I said earlier:
Obama vs Trump: the one word many/most folks associate with Barack Obama: "audacious." The Audacity of Hope.
He said that about himself.
Trump has never had to say that about himself.
If asked what one word I would use to describe Trump: "audacious."
Maybe "fearless."
US DOJ: the governor of Minnesota and the mayor of Minneapolis are now under a criminal investigation for "obstruction of federal operations." It explains why Walz and Frey are walking back some of their earlier statements this week. Apparently this story broke after the weekly news cycle, 1700 hours, January 16, 2026.
MSNBC, when reporting the story, said they had never seen such militarization of the Justice Department. I guess they have short memories. Can you say "January 6th"?
Operation Inherent Resolve: the Brits do an incredible job producing monographs of military aircraft, military operations.
I have a library full of such monographs. I'm hoping we get a British monograph on the "peaceful extraction" of "President" Maduro from Venezuela. For the most part, no still photographs / no videos yet released of the operation. The best we can do is YouTube. A few days ago, it's barely been two weeks, I posted a number of must-watch links regarding that operation. Now a new one.
"Why a Nuclear Bomber Escorted a Helicopter to USS Iwo Jima." A must-watch. Link here. I was unaware that a US fighter can reach speeds of Mach 4. AI says no US fighter can fly that fast. Whatever.
Iran: after you watch the "new" Operation Inherent Resolve video, you will better understand why we have not yet attacked Iran.
Venezuela oil: as mentioned earlier, Trump is playing chess. XOM is barely playing checkers. And at one time, XOM was known for its prowess as an oil major. With Guyana, the mojo now belongs to CVX.
Greenland: explain to me again why Greenland "belongs" to Denmark.
Epstein Files: the Clintons thumb their noses at the US Congress, and the story has no legs. LOL.
A video interlude: for many reasons, this is the perfect music video. It's not the only perfect music video out there, but ... it's the perfect music video -- to be the perfect music video there needs to be several perfect elements ... and so we have "Pretty Blue Eyes."
"Mad About You." Considered their best song. Hooverphonic. Belgian. Link here. Can you say "worthy to be a James Bond theme song."
Personal vaccinations: copy of explanation of benefits:
Two vaccines, same date, local pharmacy:
seasonal flu: Fluzone High Dose; billed by pharmacy: $217.97; Tricare paid: $93.89; Medicare did not pay any portion (at least not on this statement; though Medicare covers 100% of the cost of a seasonal flu vaccine; so, we'll see;
Covid-19: MNEXSPIKE; billed by pharmacy: $349.99; Tricare paid: $182.16; Medicare did not pay any portion (at least not on this statement; though Medicare covers Covid-19; so, we'll see.
There must be a "fight" between Medicare and Tricare as to whom is "first payer" and "second payer."
Bottom line: no out-of-pocket expenses.
Note new name for Covid-19 vaccine: mNEXSPIKE (sic).
I had always gotten the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine but this year, there were limited supplies of that vaccine. Our vaccine never received any Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. My only choice was Moderna. According to the pharmacist no difference between the two and okay to get Moderna even if the recipient only had Pfizer in the past.
Side effects of the vaccines: none, for the most part.
Covid-19: absolutely no side effects;
Fluzone high-dose: a small amount of pain at site of injection; generalized myalgia; no fever; Tylenol made a huge difference; I could tell when I did not take the four-hour dose.
Weekend: free. Four NFL playoff games. Whoo-hoo.
NY Times: incredibly childish. Exhibit A, this headline:
I would like to see this re-printed and expanded upon as only the Brits can do in a monograph. Link here. In realtor.com via The WSJ. I am not an apologist for the Kennedys. I don't care a whit about their wealth, their lifestyle, the family curse, whatever, but I do feel a twinge, a tear in my eye(s) when I read these stories. The story takes me back to an earlier time when I was very naive and perhaps happier in life because of that naivete. The innocence of Jackie Bouvier before she was married, before she met the Kennedys. Perhaps because I have three wonderful granddaughters who are not yet married, and perhaps just as innocent.
Dance me to the end of love. Link here. Leonard Cohen, Julie Christensen and Perla Batalla and Raffi Hakopian on violin. (May 12, 1993). One of the most fascinating musical moments of all time.
Micron: link here.
Micron stock (MU) is on a tear today; breaks ground on largest fab ever
in the US. CEO interviewed by Jim Cramer during the morning show. Closed up $26 today; up almost 8% in one day.
BK prominently mentionedin the Barron's article linked above. For five years, the typical holding period that one might use for evaluating BRK. One of the first individual stocks I ever owned when I started investing in 1984 (along with BNSF, San Diege Gas [now SRE], and BK). I would imagine that with dividends, the cost basis for BKR for me is now zero.
******************************** Back to the Bakken
WTI: $59.34.
Active rigs: 30.
No new permits.
Five new permits:
Devon Energy (4): two Clifford Bakke permits, Alger oil field, Mountrail County; and, an Orville permit and a Charles permit, both in Todd oil field, Williams County.
Three Phoenix Operating Terry Nelson wells in Skabo oil field, reported as "plugged or producing."
cumulative rate of hospitalization per 100,000 population: 50.4;
pediatric deaths: 15 this past week; a total of 32 deaths this season;
significant drop since last week; this is the first wave; dropped faster and earlier than last year;
US map looks pretty good;
graphs and graphics to follow;
data can be updated as reports roll in for the past week.
To put this in perspective, the rate for last season (2024 - 2025) was 127, see below (reminder, the rate of 50 reported above is for only the early part of the season this year; we have the second wave yet to hit; neither wave is consistently the worse wave; it depends on the circulating virus):
Pediatric deaths last season (2024 - 2025):
Clinical testing, typing, subtyping (I'm always amazed how few samples are collected; and even fewer analyzed):
Original Post From CDC, Week Ending January 3, 2026
Purposely asked the "wrong" question (sometime asking a chatbot the "wrong" question can lead to a better answer):
AI prompt: what subclade is A/H1 -- HA subclade D.3.1. Is it subclade K?
AI answer:
From the weekly CDC report (last week; a new report should be released today), link here:
Of the 691 specimens typed:
193 specimens were A/H1
436 specimens were A/H3
of these 436 specimens (A/H3); 399 specimens were subclade K
62 specimens were B/Victoria
0 specimens were B/Yamagata
So, 292 / 691 or 42% were not subclade K. The bad news: folks can get multiple types of flu A (flu B) and any given season, and, even worse, can get multiple types of flu simultaneously.
In other words, at the end of the day, if you are diagnosed with influenza A this season, it's very, very likely it will be subclade K. Subclade K "evolved" after this year's influenza vaccine was already developed and distributed, and came too late in the season for a subclade K vaccine to be developed.
Dow transports: at the open, hit record high. Fulfills Dow Theory.
Micron: link here. Micron stock (MU) is on a tear today; breaks ground on largest fab ever in the US. CEO interviewed by Jim Cramer during the morning show.
**************************** Back to the Bakken
WTI: $59.83.
New wells reporting:
Sunday, January 18, 2026: 28 for the month, 28 for the quarter, 28 for the year,
RBN Energy: Venezuela's prized extra-heavy crude oil is thick with potential and pitfalls. Link here. Archived.
The
news out of Venezuela has commanded the world’s attention since U.S.
forces captured President Nicolás Maduro in early January, with the
country’s highly prized heavy crude oil caught in a geopolitical tug of
war. Although there are myriad questions about how much oil the country
can really produce and where those barrels might head (and when), the
eventual answers will depend in large part on the fundamentals of the
sludgy, tar-like oil produced there. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll lay out
where Venezuela’s crude oil is produced and how it differs from grades
elsewhere.
As we discussed in Take Me Money And Run Venezuela,
the unfolding situation is fluid, chaotic and will take years to
resolve. Venezuela, once a cornerstone supplier of heavy sour crude to
U.S. Gulf Coast refineries, has seen its oil industry unravel after
decades of decline. Production plunged from about 3.5 MMb/d in the late
1990s to less than 1 MMb/d today. After years of state control under
Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chávez, chronic underinvestment has
gutted production capacity and the country’s refineries. Currently,
Chevron is the only U.S. producer allowed to operate there under a
special Treasury license.
This
is the second blog in a series on Venezuela. In future pieces, we’ll
compare Venezuelan and Canadian crudes, how increased Venezuelan crude
supply might fit into the U.S. refining industry, examine the foreign
interests and partnerships already operating in Venezuela, and the major
stumbling blocks facing the sector, including refinery utilization,
constraints on crude upgraders, and access to export markets. In today’s
blog, our primary focus is on Venezuelan oil itself. We’ll dig into
what makes this thick, murky crude so different from other grades,
identify where it originates within the country, and lay out just how
much of the stuff Venezuela might have beneath the surface.
Where Is The Oil?
The
heart of Venezuela’s oil industry lies in the Orinoco Belt (blue-shaded
area in Figure 1 below), which holds most of the country’s petroleum
reserves. Venezuela’s oil history dates back to the early 20th century
(and, interestingly, future U.S. President Herbert Hoover was involved
in early survey efforts), but the Orinoco didn’t emerge as a major focus
until much later. In fact, 1922 marked the true beginning of
substantive oil production in the country with the discovery of major
oil reserves in the Lake Maracaibo region. By the late 1920s, Venezuela
had moved into the top echelons of global oil producers and was the
leading oil exporter until the post-WWII years when Middle East
discoveries shifted leadership to that region.
