As Bjorn Lomborg states in his article, Africa produces more energy from renewables than anywhere else in the world, but they also have 700,000 deaths from indoor pollution caused by renewable energy. It is a tragic figure yet it is all but ignored by those who lead the charge towards renewable energy.

Equally as disturbing is the fact that by now, world leaders realize that there is no way to reach their green energy goals in 2030, 2040, or 2050. In short, now is not the time to sell your old energy technology stocks as there is not enough time, money nor technology to rid the world of fossil fuels.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-lockdown-climate-fossil-fuels-electricity-energy-production-africa-carbon-emission-11632943155

“The best laid schemes of mice and men can still go wrong” and so it is with the plans of the nations and their egos. Mankind has always tried to move forward but history has shown us that there is a natural progression to our progress. We cannot force an issue and all the fabricated rules and laws written to support a policy fail when faced with reality. As much as we use technology, it only works when it is developed reasonably and naturally. Any rush to implementation by mankind always runs up against reality.

There is no doubt that in many parts of the country, the term “starter house” means entering a bidding war where the starting point in California is $440,000 and the median cost is about $800,000. Could it be due to, in California, a Code of Regulations on housing is over 21,000,000 words in length, or because all new houses must have solar panels which add about $8,000 or more to each new house? Of course not, as the government, both State and Federal are there to “solve” the housing problem. We might very well have a housing problem because of the State and Federal regulations which aim at taking away local control of housing and centralizing all decisions by bureaucrats far from those who lives they attempt too “better.”

At the Battle of Jutland, Admiral Beatty was heard to say, “There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships” after three of his “greyhounds,” his beloved battle cruisers blew up and were sunk in a few minutes. What was wrong was his management; Battle Cruisers were not designed to engage battleships in a gun-to-gun battle, but Beatty misused his ships with the results of several thousand British seamen lost for no purpose.

The same poor management seems to have infected the F.B.I. Instead of focusing on their primary function, for one, they have recently displayed an amazing ability to interject themselves in politics to the ruination of their reputation and for disastrous consequences to the nation. There is no record of any police force becoming politicized to the benefit of the nation they swear to serve. History is littered with examples of police forces which have served their political masters and the abuses that have been done.

For years, the Europeans have poured billions of Euros into Green Energy projects with the promise of dependable, cheap, and renewable energy. At least that is what the leaders have promised; unfortunately, the result has been spiraling energy costs and a damper on the European economies. Energy costs in Europe are 2-3 times higher than in the U.S. (although with the new Biden Administration that competitive edge is being lost) and as a result, numerous European companies have moved manufacturing jobs to the U.S.

This short editorial tells a sad tale of a Europe now searching for traditional means of energy and having to pay higher prices. Plus, Russia is in an excellent position to not only gain political concessions from the E.U. but can also strike a very favorable balance of trade thanks to the now completed pipeline which had been blocked by the Trump Administration. It looks like it may be a very frigid winter for Europe.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/europe-climate-lesson-for-america-energy-prices-fuel-wind-11631655375?mod=opinion_lead_pos3

A recent study by the California State University system of 50,000 Freshmen, found that sixty-eight percent needed remedial help. This is the future of our country? What parent would knowingly send their child to a university and pay the enormous fees so their child can receive a remedial education? Are the parents really that dumb themselves? Or is the university not advising the parents that their child should not be at the university? Are the universities so hard up for money to pay their tenured staffs and bloated diversity/equity bureaucracies that they will lower their standards and ruin their reputations by eventually graduating sub-par students?

The article linked below should be extremely alarming to all of us.

• Did phony videos produced by Communist China cause a stampede by our “leaders” to actions which destroyed tens of thousands of businesses, created huge financial upheaval, consolidated power in the hands of unelected bureaucrats and power-hungry politicians and harmed the educational options for a generation of youth?
• Did the “leaders” of German base their support of lockdowns, quarantine facilities, etc., based on clinical results from Communist China?
• Did a major Dutch agency determine that the cost of a lockdown would six times more than the benefit, but the Dutch government decided to go with lockdowns due to a fear of negative optics in the news?
• Using information from Chinese journals, did the WHO recommend a rush to ventilators which killed thousands of Westerners?
• When it was widely realized that the New Zealand Department of Health had based their recommendations based on information from Chinese journals, the references were deleted.

The common thread was that unverified reports and claims from Communist China were used by Western “scientist” and “leaders” to create public policies which were disastrous and non-effective. Where was the checking for accuracy, the due diligence that we should expect from those who handle the levers of power over our lives? As time goes on, will more revelations become known, and we ever hear one apology for massive public policy failures? Of course not, for being in government, and increasing it appears in science, means never having to say, “I’m sorry, I failed.” https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/masked-ball-cowardice

There is no doubt that the recent flooding by Hurricane Ida was terrible for millions of Americans. Everyone was concerned initially about the possible impact on New Orleans and instead for a week we watched a single storm march across the nation like Sherman’s March to the Sea; unstoppable and truly frightening. We saw in no uncertain terms, the might of mother nature. In my mind, anyone who believes that we can have a decisive impact on nature in terms of stopping or controlling such power must have a self-image that defies all reason.

After decades of huge spending on education and the installation of a “progressive” educational agenda, we continue to hear cries of “systemic racism” as the cause of failure within our public-school systems. To cover the failure of the “progressives” (I am never quite sure what they which to progress too) regarding the disastrous reading and math scores among some minorities, they now wish to eliminate correct and incorrect answers in math and science (as that is racist) along with any notice of hard work and merit.

The pull out of the U.S. and our allies presents many challenges and opportunities; unfortunately, there is no real upside for the U.S., but it could present China with the opportunity to further corner the market on rare earth elements and create more problems for India.  Not is all positive for the Chinese as the cost of mining will involve considerable expense; the minerals are in areas with little if any infrastructure and the current rail lines are week. 

Additionally, they will have to face the same tribal challenges as the U.S. and their record of inhumane treatment of their own Muslim minorities could put them at deadly odds with the various Islamic militant groups within Afghanistan. Although Pakistan, another player in the area has been moving closer to China, will elements of the Pakistani Intelligence Service will willing to give China a free hand in the area? Pakistans support of the Taliban will be a key element in the future of the area. Given the internal politics of China at this time, the last thing that President Xi needs is a military problem in the area.

This excellent article discusses these and several other factors which will make the exploitation of the area by China a challenge.  Will China go the same way as the British, Soviets and the U.S., or will they be able to create success in Afghanistan?  Given the drawback of some counties which have seen the true cost of co-operation with China, it would be wise for China to move carefully in the future in the area. For a full analysis, please go to https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/taliban-redux-opportunities-and-challenges-for-china-in-afghanistan/?_se=YmtsYXp1cmEwMUBnbWFpbC5jb20%3D