We are coming up on the one year anniversary of what I call the Big Freeze. There seems to have been little done to fix the root of the problem, freezing gas pipelines. From the Texas Monthly article:

You might think that the natural gas industry, having scored a multibillion-dollar windfall at the expense of other Texans, might show some magnanimity in victory and agree to take steps to ensure against future blackouts. But you would be wrong. The gas industry continues to fight ferociously to avoid the kinds of regulations that are commonplace in other states. It has boosted by millions of dollars its campaign contributions to friendly politicians, including the three officials leading the Railroad Commission.

The Texas Electric Grid Failure Was a Warm-up

Heard about this and had to go to an industry magazine (“Energy”) to get the story. Seems the folks in the gas pipeline business, who brought you last years disaster, are at it again. Remember this was very profitable for the energy industry, even as homes and businesses were destryoyed and lives lost. Here we go again.

Vistra Claims ‘Extortion’ by Pipeline Company, Says Natural Gas Supply to Texas Power Plants Threatened

It’s Monday. A ham bone and some Camillia red beans. Doing it old school in a big iron pot on the back burner.

I didn’t know there was a term for this. Basically how to be realistic and optimistic at the same time , even in bad conditions. Named for Jim Stockdale, more famous for being Ross Perot’s running mate in his 3rd party presidential bid.

THE STOCKDALE PARADOX

Listening to a little West Texas / panhandle music this morning.

Just a popular press article on the current state of supercomputing. While the US and the Chinese were out-muscling each other, the Japanese took the lead with a better design. From Al Jazeera, which is becoming my go-to source for international news.

Visualising the race to build the world’s fastest supercomputers

At the beginning of the Trump political phenomenon, there was a myth that his supporters were working people in middle America, unemployed or under-employed rust-belt factory workers and coal miners. There may be some truth to this but Trump’s most vocal supporters turned out to be something else: people with resources. A good article in the Atlantic that looks at rural American wealth, something often overlooked by the media. The article is short on data but connects with other societies in other parts of the world and at other times.

American Gentry

Canada is worried about the political collapse of the US. This includes preparing for massive numbers of refugees from the US to Canada in the event of a collapse. Really. From the Globe and Mail.

The American polity is cracked, and might collapse. Canada must prepare

A good read from the Atlantic. Makes frequent connections to The Leopard, a book about the end of the Italian aristocracy. A good movie, too. The article misses the most famous quote though, which is perhaps good advice for the UK: “If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change“.

HOW BRITAIN FALLS APART