The graphs tell it, and it’s happening.

Ignore these trends at your peril.

Certainly into 2024.

Only the US intends to reduce coal production over the next two years.

From the Visual Capitalist:

“China and India produce almost 60% of the world’s coal, and are expected to increase their production by more than 200 million tonnes per year, collectively. All this coal goes towards meeting the insatiable energy demands of both nations.

“While China has pledged to start cutting down coal consumption in 2026, the country also announced the construction of 43 new coal-fired power plants to meet energy demand until then. Part of the additional production is driven by a need to reduce the country’s dependence on coal imports, which are expected to drop by 51 million tonnes or 16% from 2021–2024.

“By 2024, China’s coal consumption is forecasted to rise by 3.3% and India’s by 12.2%, which would make the two countries responsible for two-thirds of the world’s coal consumption.”

AS CHINA AND INDIA GO, SO GOES FUTURE COAL PRODUCTION.

Were they Trane and Art Blakey?  No.  But were they good?  YES.  They slaughtered my BLUES and BRIGHTENED THE LIGHTS.  And I even sneaked in a POEM.

At a Loss

Sometimes, there’s only 
The feeling
As fragments of phrases
Still lying about –
As if in the wake
Of a blast –
Leave little to salvage
Or source.

That purity, utter,
On cold winter nights,
That ushers me, buoyant,
Past Saks,
Then shoots me past skaters
And over to Sixth
Seems all I can tap
To form lines.

The moment compresses,
Unleashes recall,
Seeks something suggesting
Summation.
Yet, where is the affect,
The feel of the real,
Some tangible, traceable
Past?

JAD, 2022

Ukraine in Russian means literally “ON THE EDGE.”  The U syllable — pronounced OO as in BOO! — means “ON” while “KRAIN” (pronounced kra-een) means edge.  Put them together and you get the Russian name Ukrainia which is also what it is — funnily enough — in Ukrainian. 

That said, many are arguing a) that since there was never a Ukrainian state entity per se before the establishment by Lenin of the Ukrainian Socialist Republic in 1922; b) that except for a small core, the entire “country” is an amalgamation of prior annexations, cessions and donations; and c) that much of it is still ethnically and linguistically Russian — WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL IF PUTIN INVADES?

After all, as the maps below show, Ukraine is and always has been a kind of “fluid polity” of constantly shifting and re-shifting borders and a “country” — at least as defined by its current borders — more one in name than in substance.

Besides, this is Putin’s part of the world and Russia’s SPHERE OF INFLUENCE.  So, what does it even have to do with the US or greater West?

1667

1918

Ukraine by Addition

The opposing argument rests on the premise that regardless of how Ukraine came into existence and who now inhabits it, it’s still a SOVEREIGN STATE with INVIOLATE BORDERS.

The UN Charter prohibits, except in cases of self-defense or as authorized by the Security Council, the use of force by one country against another.  Yes, this is violated regularly in non-strategic instances, but it’s also why the US needed a “Gulf of Tonkin incident” — or one like it — before it could send hundreds of thousands of air, ground and naval forces into battle in Vietnam.

So, if Putin is allowed to a) violate Ukraine’s territorial integrity — as he’s already done before in Crimea as well as in Georgia, a second sovereign state; b) do so with impunity rather than in demonstrable self-defense; and c) disregard both the UN Charter and the UN Security Council — WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM which, with few loopholes, ABOLISHED THE RIGHT OF CONQUEST in 1945?

So, THERE YOU GO.

NOW, PICK A SIDE.  

Hiatus, resurrection, consummation.

“Call it anything.” (Miles Davis, Isle of Wight, 1970)

The entire concert.  This one deconstructed music for me then reassembled it.  Superb backup band — Bob Berg, John Scofield, etc.

Miles does Japan.

Mellow Miles.  Robben Ford.  Bob Berg.  Sweet tune.

Burn, baby, burn!  David Sanborn wailing.  Bob Berg.  Miles.  Robben Ford.

Miles in top form, the band COOKING and a cleaner arrangement than in Montreal the previous summer.

Classic, mid-80’s Miles.

Another SERIOUS BURN.  Strong Miles.  All-out Berg.  OUTSTANDING Robben Ford and Santana. What a duel of a duet!

A little night music.  Bishop Tutu, are you listening?  Plus remembering Jaco and my favorite track from this period, “Hannibal.”  Miles, Marcus Miller, Don Alias, David Sanborn and the truly gifted Kenny Garrett.   Great vest pocket concert.

. . . Have Ended in Crisis.

So then, does Powell raise rates to stop inflation? The graph below may explain his hesitation.

. . . A Way to Go Yet

Me? I’m not flying any time soon.

The carbon cost of going wherever by whatever means.

. . . or will they continue to DEFY the mainstream and lose elections to EQUALLY MISGUIDED ELEMENTS on the Reactionary Right?

And will the New York Times finally wake up as well and start stressing EQUAL COVERAGE FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO RETAIN POLICE DEPARTMENTS; KEEP SELECT SCHOOLS ADMISSIONS COMPETITIVE; STOP CANCELING HISTORIC NATIONAL FIGURES WHILE REMOVING MONUMENTS TO THEM AND THEIR NAMES FROM HISTORIC BUILDINGS AND INSTITUTIONS; AND DISPENSE WITH ALL OF THE MORALIZING AND VIRTUE SIGNALING THAT HAVE BECOME S.O.P. ON THE LEFT?

I mean, the Times has now published the linked piece below, hasn’t it?  THAT’S JUST AS MUCH A SEA CHANGE as far as I’m concerned.  Or in the Times’ words:

An Earthquake

What Progressives don’t seem to get is that TO KEEP REPUBLICANS OUT OF POWER, they need PRAGMATIC POLICIES MORE THAN “PROGRESSIVE” ONES.

And it’s the SNOBBISH COLLEGE EDUCATED WHITE PROFESSIONAL CLASS with support from A SMALL SLIVER OF INTELLECTUAL BLACKS IN ACADMENE AND THE MEDIA who are driving all of this so-called “POLITICS OF VIRTUOUSNESS.”

Call it CNN/MSNBC WORLD.

Change takes time.  Empathy and compassion ARE NOT THE ONLY THINGS.  We actually have BIGGER PROBLEMS: ROGUE FINANCE, UNAFFORDABLE ENERGY and ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION to name only three.

This is a TRULY diverse Republic, a res publica, THE PEOPLE’S THING.  ALL OF THE PEOPLE AND NOT JUST THE DISADVANTAGED.  And we ALL have a vote.

Those with the most votes WIN ELECTIONS.  And Democrats, due to the UNTRAMMELED ZEALOTRY bordering on STUPIDITY of Progressives and the so-called WOKE, are well on their way to CRATERING the Democratic Party, just as the Tea Party sank the Republicans, allowing to emerge a TRULY DANGEROUS AND UNBRIDLED ALT-RIGHT.

So, wake up, PROGRESSIVES.  If SAN FRANCISCO VOTERS have recalled the delusional from their school board, THEN IT’S TIME.

WAKE UP!

Maybe civilization will EVENTUALLY reach those stubbornly resistant parts of Africa and Asia.

But maybe not.