Category Archives: History

California’s Planned Blackouts

Jim Meigs explains.

I just read that they’re cutting power to the Berkeley campus, which could be a disaster for researchers who need to keep things in the fridge, if they don’t have backup generators.

And you know what isn’t the problem? Climate change. Or at least not anthropogenic climate change. Drought is the natural state of affairs for the place. The 20th century was unusually wet, and a lot of policy decisions were made on the assumption that this was a normal state of affairs.

We’re on So Cal Edison, not PG&E, but we’ve heard that SCE might be planning the same thing. Unclear if we’ll be affected if they do.

[Update Saturday morning]

Californians learn that solar panels don’t work during power blackouts. More policy idiocy, and they’re compounding it by requiring every new home to have them. I can’t believe the state I’ve lived in for four decades, with such an innovative history, has become so effing stupid.

[Bumped]

The Syrian Withdrawal

The place is a mess, and it does complicate China’s life for them to have to deal with it. My only concern is for the Kurds. But maybe they can cut a deal with Assad. And it is worth noting that Erdogan will be limited in his military ambitions by the need for maintenance of his NATO equipment.

[Mid-morning update]

The fate of the Kurds.

They really deserve their own country, but that never seems to be in the cards. Ignoring the Marxist PKK, they’re the only real allies, other than Israel, in the region.

How The Russian Witch Hunt Started

A long read, but why Trump has Ukraine on the brain.

[Update a few minutes later]

Mr. Trump goes to Washington.

[Update a few more minutes later]

The IG report on FISA abuse will be out on Friday, and someone needs to put Adam Schiff under oath.

[Update a while later]

The pre-impeachment of Donald Trump never stopped.

[Noon update]

The curious case of the incurious press.