Crunch Time for Renewable Energy Deployment

Trump and Netanyahu’s ill-considered war on Iran has brought us to a situation where 20% of the world’s oil supply is bottled up in the Persian Gulf. If the war continues–and none of the participants show signs of backing down–the price of crude oil is expected to double over time. Other raw materials are bottled up in the Gulf as well, fertilizer, and helium, important for chip manufacture.

Global Brain Sclerosis and the Conscience of the World

Over on Bluesky @henrythedog.bsky.social comments:

One thing I haven't seen enough people talk about is Iran's infrastructure was already at the edge of falling apart, Tehran already has a serious water shortage problem, bombing and the disruption of government services and control could push it over the edge unleashing a massive humanitarian crisis.

This is unconscionable. Even the worst administrations of my life would not have risked such a thing, and leads to the following reflection:

This disastrous administration is showing us that the United States was the conscience of the world, is no longer, and so far no other country is stepping up. It was also the biggest charitable organization in the world and the keeper of the peace. With the predominance of fascists in the United States, it is as if the brain of the world has had a stroke, and part of it is gone. Considering that multiple Western nations have fascist parties, maybe it's correct to say that the brain of the world has a vascular disorder, leading to multiple TIAs in addition to a major stroke.

“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost its savour, from where shall it be salted?”