Back when this pandemic started, in March 2020, I was trying to get a grip on want was going on. There was lots of noise and conflicting information. I remember talking to a neighbor and telling him my estimate was one million dead before this is all over. I didn’t mean this as an exact tally, but an engineering estimate. It was going to be more than a few thousand, more than a hundred thousand, but less than many millions. He seemed skeptical, but I still remember the hard look he gave me. I decided to document my concerns (Weighing in on COVID-19). It didn’t happen quite the way I expected, but here we are at a place that was unthinkable to most people. I also believe this is a very low estimate. It will take time to see what part of excess deaths get assigned to covid.

From Axios, with data from Bloomberg. EVs are displacing 1.5 million barrels of oil per day. The real story is about 2/3 of this is from 2 and 3 wheeled vehicles.

EVs are shoving aside real volumes of oil

From The Guardian (UK).

French dijon mustard supply hit by climate and rising costs, say producers

The Texas power grid seems to have trouble with both cold and hot weather. It also can’t seem to get electricity from where it is made to where it is needed. Finally, it won’t buy power from neighboring states. All of this means electricity prices will go up, way up. I expect rolling blackouts as we hit records across multiple days here, and it’s only May. Anyone out there still remember Enron? That was the last time the Texas energy boys figured out how to make vast amounts of money while delivering less of their product (electricity). Could even be the same people.

ERCOT urges Texans to cut back on power usage over weekend

I see inflation stories at the top of the news every day. Even the local news. Oil continues at $100 bbl for no particular reason, and big oil companies like BP, Shell and Exxon dial in record or near-record profits. How much of inflation is caused by, let’s call it what it is, oil company profiteering? I can’t seem to find any data making the link. Hers the latest Big Oil news.

Saudi Aramco overtakes Apple as world’s most valuable company

Texas refuses to buy power from other states, even given the recent stunning shortfalls of the Texas power grid. This seems to be simply to avoid Federal regulation, and allow overcharging to Texas consumers. It turns out it is even worse than that. There is extremely cheap power in places right in Texas that can’t find it’s way to where it is needed. So people are paying very, very high prices when there is very, very cheap power right nearby. It is almost as if the Texas power companies don’t want to save customers money. From Shelby Webb on Twitter:

This is wild. Wholesale power prices have spiked in the Houston region, north of $317 per megawatt hour. But less than three hours away in Calhoun County (where there’s a lot of wind power), prices are NEGATIVE $883

I suppose I will listen to this. Lots of people predicted this outcome in Russia when the “Chicago Boys” put their Free Market theories to the test, again. Concentration of wealth, and everything that goes along with it has been the result. Does it look a little bit familiar? From NPR.

The day Russia adopted the free market

History seems to get lost quickly these days. In my lifetime, southern Baptists were very much pro-choice. From Bill Moyer’s, way back in 2014. I quibble a bit with his analysis. It was mostly a move to consolidate political power, in a country where religions are not supposed to have political power.

When Southern Baptists Were Pro-Choice

I have been saying for a while that the worldwide political unrest is caused by the internet. More specifically, the widespread use of the internet on mobile phones using applications like Facebook. This is to today’s world what the printing press was to Martin Luther’s. Ex-CIA analyst Martin Gurri has been studying this for over a decade and has some good points. I may have to get his 2014 book.

“Every major transformation in information technology has brought in train widespread chaos and disruption, often accompanied by bloodshed, as the old elites – wedded to obsolete forms of communication – were chased up their castle towers and heaved out the window.”

The Prophet of the Revolt

Almost too much of a coincidence. Look who greeted me this morning. Ivanka! The cats were not amused. We live on an acre and I found the centipede on the driveway up by the road. I’m very surprised she made it to the house, much less into the house.