By Finn Johansson Earth Times | January 30, 2026
If you look at the news ticker today, you might get the distinct impression that the world is unspooling. Oil is climbing the charts like a pop song, the President is tweeting about “speed and violence,” and the US reports the USS Abraham Lincoln is leading a flotilla toward the Persian Gulf that looks less like a diplomatic mission and more like a scene from a Michael Bay movie.
But for the next 72 hours, I am officially declaring a ceasefire on anxiety.
We are going to put aside the rumors about Greenland (still not for sale, apparently), the tensions in Venezuela, and whatever is happening in the Panama Canal. Why? Because it is Super Bowl week, and for a brief, shining moment, the only conflict that matters is taking place in Santa Clara between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots.
The Oil Tantrum vs. The Zen of Wind
Before we get to the spread, let’s talk about why my gas pump is suddenly asking for more money.
Oil prices surged this week because oil is the drama queen of commodities. It panics at headlines. Trump sends a carrier group to Iran? Oil jumps 5%. A rumor starts about a blockade in Hormuz? Oil hyperventilates. It is a resource that is inextricably tied to the mood swings of geopolitics.
And this is where I have to drop my obligatory Earth Times truth bomb: Renewables don’t care about your armada.
You ever notice that? The price of sunlight doesn’t spike when a destroyer crosses a maritime border. The wind blowing off the coast of Maine doesn’t require a treaty to harvest. They are the only truly non-partisan assets we have. While the world holds its breath watching the Persian Gulf, the solar arrays in the Mojave are just doing their job, completely immune to the theater of war.
If we needed another reason to get off the fossil fuel rollercoaster, this week is it. Energy independence isn’t just about being green; it’s about being boring. And frankly, I could use a little more “boring” in my foreign policy.
The Fun Part: Seattle by a Field Goal (or More)
Now, to the serious business of the weekend.
I had to hunt down a new bookie because my usual guy was too scared to take action on this game, I think I found the best offshore sportsbook. I’m going to pound Seattle in this one. I elected to forgo the sign up bonus so I can hit and run.
We are looking at a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX, but the script has flipped. The Seahawks open as 4.5-point favorites, and honestly, that feels low. While the world is watching the carrier strike group, I’m watching the Seahawks’ secondary.
New England has that “defense and run the ball” grit that works in snow games, but Levi’s Stadium is a fast track. Seattle has the speed, they have the arm, and most importantly, they have the narrative momentum.
So, here is the plan for the weekend:
- Ignore the tweets.
- Hope the Abraham Lincoln just does a few laps and comes home.
- Watch the wind turbines spin peacefully, costing us nothing in blood or treasure.
- Take the Seahawks to cover the -4.5.
Enjoy the game, everyone. The world will still be crazy on Monday; let’s at least enjoy the halftime show.
