Showing posts with label Don't Drink the Tea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Don't Drink the Tea. Show all posts
Friday, February 15, 2019
Chart of the Day: Manufacturing Employment Edition
From Bloomberg:
While the number of manufacturing jobs is up from the low set during the Great Recession, the total is still lower than any other time since 1950. Unfortunately, I believe it will plumb new lows in the next recession, and will almost certainly never get back to pre-2008 levels. A few of the reasons for that are that manufacturing is hard, it is extremely capital-intensive, and new technology is eliminating the need for some employees. It is a lot easier to make money in advertising or mergers and acquisitions or technology.
Monday, February 11, 2019
Early February Links
Some of my favorite stories from the previous week:
After the abuse Jackie Robinson endured, Frank Robinson refused to take it - Chicago Tribune
Farmers nearing crisis push back on Trump trade policies – Politico and ‘This One Here Is Gonna Kick My Butt’—Farm Belt Bankruptcies Are Soaring – Wall Street Journal
Is Fear Driving Sales Of Monsanto's Dicamba-Proof Soybeans? - The Salt
Long, strange trip: How U.S. ethanol reaches China tariff-free - Reuters
A Water Crisis Is Growing In A Place You'd Least Expect It - NPR
In Era of Drought, Phoenix Prepares for a Future Without Colorado River Water - Yale Environment 360. Part 4 in a series.
CNX reports suspected cause of Utica Shale well problem near Beaver Run Reservoir - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
How ‘Interior Landmarks’ Redeemed New York – The American Conservative and Architectural history hidden by Detroit ceilings for years - Detroit Free Press
Fight the Ship - Death and valor on a warship doomed by its own Navy. – ProPublica
The Five Families of Feces – New York Magazine
Abuse of Faith - Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News. This is Spotlight-level investigative reporting.
A Tennessee clinic swindled the military out of $65M. This is how it got caught – The Tennessean
Simon Institute research shows state funding disparities benefit downstate - SIU News. According to this, the suburbs, and to some extent Chicago, get hammered to benefit rural areas.
‘My whole town practically lived there’: From Costa Rica to New Jersey, a pipeline of illegal workers for Trump goes back years - Washington Post
The hypocrisy of Trump’s jobs claims, in one chart - Vox (chart from Aaron Sojourner)
After the abuse Jackie Robinson endured, Frank Robinson refused to take it - Chicago Tribune
Farmers nearing crisis push back on Trump trade policies – Politico and ‘This One Here Is Gonna Kick My Butt’—Farm Belt Bankruptcies Are Soaring – Wall Street Journal
Is Fear Driving Sales Of Monsanto's Dicamba-Proof Soybeans? - The Salt
Long, strange trip: How U.S. ethanol reaches China tariff-free - Reuters
A Water Crisis Is Growing In A Place You'd Least Expect It - NPR
In Era of Drought, Phoenix Prepares for a Future Without Colorado River Water - Yale Environment 360. Part 4 in a series.
CNX reports suspected cause of Utica Shale well problem near Beaver Run Reservoir - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
How ‘Interior Landmarks’ Redeemed New York – The American Conservative and Architectural history hidden by Detroit ceilings for years - Detroit Free Press
Fight the Ship - Death and valor on a warship doomed by its own Navy. – ProPublica
The Five Families of Feces – New York Magazine
Abuse of Faith - Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News. This is Spotlight-level investigative reporting.
A Tennessee clinic swindled the military out of $65M. This is how it got caught – The Tennessean
Simon Institute research shows state funding disparities benefit downstate - SIU News. According to this, the suburbs, and to some extent Chicago, get hammered to benefit rural areas.
‘My whole town practically lived there’: From Costa Rica to New Jersey, a pipeline of illegal workers for Trump goes back years - Washington Post
The hypocrisy of Trump’s jobs claims, in one chart - Vox (chart from Aaron Sojourner)
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
The Day After
Wow. I had gone into the election thinking that voters nationwide would have seen through Trump's lies and bigotry. People in cities and suburbs did, but folks in rural areas just want to drink from the fire hose (with Steve King, how bigoted does one have to be to lose?). In that respect, Trump was vindicated, so we can expect more of the same in the next two years. In Ohio, Republicans cruised. No incumbents in the state legislature lost. Based on the Kansas and Wisconsin examples, the Republican party has to completely drive the state into the ground before they lose a statewide election. I personally was hoping to avoid that, but I think that is what will happen. For example, our next State Representative, like much of the rest of the legislature, wants to roll back Medicaid expansion. The only reason the state expanded Medicaid was because John Kasich did it by executive action. Now we have to depend on Mike DeWine and the health care lobby to keep it in place. If it were to be rolled back, rural areas and the people who live there will suffer, and some places may lose hospitals. I am sure we will get more useless tax cuts which strip resources from rural areas and put greater burdens on local populations, and more talk about rolling back regulations. I doubt that much on the regulatory front will actually happen, but I expect you won't see DeWine pushing to deal with algae blooms in Grand Lake St. Mary's or Lake Erie, either. Overall, rural areas will continue to decline, and they will continue to work to drag the rest of the country down with them.
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Mid Week Mini-Links - May 2018 Edition
I had a little difficulty finding many good stories, but I've got some:
Stronach Group COO Tim Ritvo sees grim future for Preakness at Pimlico - Baltimore Sun. This makes me sad.
Choking On Our Harvest: Threats Loom Over Global Food Trade – Bloomberg. A lot of good graphics.
Big Ag turns to peas to meet soaring global protein demand – Reuters
Editorial: U.S. House embarrassed itself with its mishandling of the farm bill - Omaha World-Herald. The GOP owns this train wreck. They had plenty of money for corporate tax cuts, but they just can't resist kicking the poor while shoveling out piles of money to farmers and rural residents.
For Future Health Policies, Trump Administration Adds a Rural Focus - Governing. Maybe the Ohio GOP shouldn't be pushing to roll back Medicaid expansion. I think the lack of Medicaid expansion (along with ending reimbursement for unpaid care linked to the expected expansion), as opposed to excessive regulation, led to rural hospital closures.
Gambling Ruling May Make USDA Reports More Exciting - Progressive Farmer
The Last Days of the Blue-Blood Harvest - The Atlantic
Meeting Resistance – Science
Public Demands Investigation of Why F.B.I. Infiltrators in Trump Campaign Failed to Prevent Him from Being Elected – Borowitz Report
Scott Pruitt’s approach to pollution control will make the air dirtier and Americans less healthy - The Conversation
Stronach Group COO Tim Ritvo sees grim future for Preakness at Pimlico - Baltimore Sun. This makes me sad.
Choking On Our Harvest: Threats Loom Over Global Food Trade – Bloomberg. A lot of good graphics.
Big Ag turns to peas to meet soaring global protein demand – Reuters
Editorial: U.S. House embarrassed itself with its mishandling of the farm bill - Omaha World-Herald. The GOP owns this train wreck. They had plenty of money for corporate tax cuts, but they just can't resist kicking the poor while shoveling out piles of money to farmers and rural residents.
For Future Health Policies, Trump Administration Adds a Rural Focus - Governing. Maybe the Ohio GOP shouldn't be pushing to roll back Medicaid expansion. I think the lack of Medicaid expansion (along with ending reimbursement for unpaid care linked to the expected expansion), as opposed to excessive regulation, led to rural hospital closures.
Gambling Ruling May Make USDA Reports More Exciting - Progressive Farmer
The Last Days of the Blue-Blood Harvest - The Atlantic
Meeting Resistance – Science
Public Demands Investigation of Why F.B.I. Infiltrators in Trump Campaign Failed to Prevent Him from Being Elected – Borowitz Report
Scott Pruitt’s approach to pollution control will make the air dirtier and Americans less healthy - The Conversation
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Mid-May Late Week Links
More good reads for you:
Gov. John Kasich wants to crack down on phosphorus runoff that feeds Lake Erie algal blooms – Cleveland Plain Dealer. This isn't going to magically go away.
Warming Planet Could Mean Bigger Corn Crops for American Farmers – Bloomberg. Just what we need-more corn.
California is turning farms into carbon-sucking factories – Grist. Farmers might be in for fighting climate change if it means more sweet, sweet government handouts.
Warming Waters Push Fish To Cooler Climes, Out Of Some Fishermen's Reach – The Salt
NASA Satellites Reveal Major Shifts in Global Freshwater – NASA.gov
Louisiana Wants To Use The Muddy Mississippi To Build Up Its Coast – NPR
The 9.9 Percent Is the New American Aristocracy - The Atlantic.
The Untold Story of Robert Mueller's Time in Combat - Wired. Who would you rather your children turn out like: Robert Mueller or Donald Trump? If you said Trump, I sure hope you don't have kids.
Sulfur Dioxide Damages Lungs, and Scott Pruitt Is Letting More of It in Our Air – Mother Jones It is ridiculous that existing plants sometimes never have had to meet most environmental regulations.
Too Big To Fine, Too Small To Fight Back – Texas Observer. Sometimes it seems when Republicans are in charge they really work to make government the enemy.
Which Poor People Shouldn’t Have to Work for Aid? – The Upshot. I'll give you one guess. More on Michigan's plan for letting rural poor folks stay on Medicaid without meeting work requirements.
‘Blue Wave’ Has Been a Trickle Outside Largest Cities - The Daily Yonder. Yes, rural areas are responsible for Trump.
Trump vs. “The Deep State” – The New Yorker. More like Trump vs. competent governance.
A Wildfire Likely Spawned a Severe Thunderstorm in Texas – DAMWeather
Gov. John Kasich wants to crack down on phosphorus runoff that feeds Lake Erie algal blooms – Cleveland Plain Dealer. This isn't going to magically go away.
Warming Planet Could Mean Bigger Corn Crops for American Farmers – Bloomberg. Just what we need-more corn.
California is turning farms into carbon-sucking factories – Grist. Farmers might be in for fighting climate change if it means more sweet, sweet government handouts.
Warming Waters Push Fish To Cooler Climes, Out Of Some Fishermen's Reach – The Salt
NASA Satellites Reveal Major Shifts in Global Freshwater – NASA.gov
Louisiana Wants To Use The Muddy Mississippi To Build Up Its Coast – NPR
The 9.9 Percent Is the New American Aristocracy - The Atlantic.
The Untold Story of Robert Mueller's Time in Combat - Wired. Who would you rather your children turn out like: Robert Mueller or Donald Trump? If you said Trump, I sure hope you don't have kids.
Sulfur Dioxide Damages Lungs, and Scott Pruitt Is Letting More of It in Our Air – Mother Jones It is ridiculous that existing plants sometimes never have had to meet most environmental regulations.
Too Big To Fine, Too Small To Fight Back – Texas Observer. Sometimes it seems when Republicans are in charge they really work to make government the enemy.
Which Poor People Shouldn’t Have to Work for Aid? – The Upshot. I'll give you one guess. More on Michigan's plan for letting rural poor folks stay on Medicaid without meeting work requirements.
‘Blue Wave’ Has Been a Trickle Outside Largest Cities - The Daily Yonder. Yes, rural areas are responsible for Trump.
Trump vs. “The Deep State” – The New Yorker. More like Trump vs. competent governance.
A Wildfire Likely Spawned a Severe Thunderstorm in Texas – DAMWeather
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Last of April Mid-Week Links
More stories for you:
The Mobster Who Bought His Son a Hockey Team – The Atlantic. This is as good as it sounds.
ESPN Fawns Over The Intelligence Of Trevor Bauer, Who Is A Big Dumb Asshole - Deadspin. I really have no opinion about Trevor Bauer, but this made me laugh, and the twitter exchange is amazing.
Yangxiang aims high with sows on many floors – Pig Progress. I have no idea if this is true, but if it is, it sounds like a horror show.
Remembering the ‘Spooky Wisdom’ of Our Agrarian Past – The American Conservative. I still don't think the phase of the moon has anything to do with setting fence posts.
Bosch Says It's Made a Breakthrough That Can Save Diesel Engines – Bloomberg
The Key to Everything - New York Review of Books
The Renegade Sheriffs – The New Yorker
Church of the Donald – Politico and Maybe It’s Time to Admit That The “Grotesque Caricature” of White Evangelicals is the Reality - Religion Dispatches. These bother me more than most things Donald.
Why Trump Gets Away With Lying – Bloomberg. This makes an important point. I have a hard time talking about Trump without saying, "dumbfuck" or "suckers," but that isn't going to sway any of his supporters, and probably will just make them dig in their heels deeper. That's a challenging situation that requires more of me (and is one of the reasons I haven't written much about Trump).
Mick Mulvaney Says the Quiet Part Out Loud – The Atlantic. Yeah, draining the swamp.
The Reinvention of America – James Fallows. He's more optimistic than I am, but that is a good thing (honestly, it is often hard to be more pessimistic than me).
This animal kills more people in a day than sharks do in a century – Gatesnotes. Trump is far from alone when it comes to freaking out about sharks.
The Mobster Who Bought His Son a Hockey Team – The Atlantic. This is as good as it sounds.
ESPN Fawns Over The Intelligence Of Trevor Bauer, Who Is A Big Dumb Asshole - Deadspin. I really have no opinion about Trevor Bauer, but this made me laugh, and the twitter exchange is amazing.
Yangxiang aims high with sows on many floors – Pig Progress. I have no idea if this is true, but if it is, it sounds like a horror show.
Remembering the ‘Spooky Wisdom’ of Our Agrarian Past – The American Conservative. I still don't think the phase of the moon has anything to do with setting fence posts.
Bosch Says It's Made a Breakthrough That Can Save Diesel Engines – Bloomberg
The Key to Everything - New York Review of Books
The Renegade Sheriffs – The New Yorker
Church of the Donald – Politico and Maybe It’s Time to Admit That The “Grotesque Caricature” of White Evangelicals is the Reality - Religion Dispatches. These bother me more than most things Donald.
Why Trump Gets Away With Lying – Bloomberg. This makes an important point. I have a hard time talking about Trump without saying, "dumbfuck" or "suckers," but that isn't going to sway any of his supporters, and probably will just make them dig in their heels deeper. That's a challenging situation that requires more of me (and is one of the reasons I haven't written much about Trump).
Mick Mulvaney Says the Quiet Part Out Loud – The Atlantic. Yeah, draining the swamp.
The Reinvention of America – James Fallows. He's more optimistic than I am, but that is a good thing (honestly, it is often hard to be more pessimistic than me).
This animal kills more people in a day than sharks do in a century – Gatesnotes. Trump is far from alone when it comes to freaking out about sharks.
Sunday, April 22, 2018
Late April Weekend Links
More stories for your perusal:
The Man Who Brought Down Lance Armstrong – The Atlantic
Iowa's minor league baseball teams team up to help repair the vandalized Field of Dreams infield - Des Moines Register
Local Courts Lift Arkansas Weedkiller Ban, Creating Chaos - The Salt. Chaos seems to be standard for agriculture right now...
Exclusive: U.S. sorghum armada U-turns at sea after China tariffs - Reuters
The Maraschino Mogul’s Secret Life – The New Yorker
OLPC’s $100 laptop was going to change the world — then it all went wrong - The Verge
Canary in the Coal Pond - Propublica
Engineers Are Leaving Trump’s America for the Canadian Dream – Bloomberg. MAGA is effectively MAWA. No greatness about it.
Palantir Knows Everything About You – Bloomberg
Ranked: The Best and Worst State Economies - Visual Capitalist. If there is a correlation between tax rate and ranking, it appears to be a positive correlation.
The Man Who Brought Down Lance Armstrong – The Atlantic
Iowa's minor league baseball teams team up to help repair the vandalized Field of Dreams infield - Des Moines Register
Local Courts Lift Arkansas Weedkiller Ban, Creating Chaos - The Salt. Chaos seems to be standard for agriculture right now...
Exclusive: U.S. sorghum armada U-turns at sea after China tariffs - Reuters
The Maraschino Mogul’s Secret Life – The New Yorker
OLPC’s $100 laptop was going to change the world — then it all went wrong - The Verge
Canary in the Coal Pond - Propublica
Engineers Are Leaving Trump’s America for the Canadian Dream – Bloomberg. MAGA is effectively MAWA. No greatness about it.
Palantir Knows Everything About You – Bloomberg
Ranked: The Best and Worst State Economies - Visual Capitalist. If there is a correlation between tax rate and ranking, it appears to be a positive correlation.
Friday, April 20, 2018
Sunday, April 15, 2018
Traditional Tax Day Links
Here are the latest stories for you:
James Harden Isn't Playing Around – GQ
As dairy crisis crushes farmers, Wisconsin's rural identity in jeopardy - Dairy farmers have been getting pummeled. I feel awful for them.
Republican Farm Bill Calls On Many SNAP Recipients To Work Or Go To School - The Salt. Subsidies for me, but not for thee.
Texas is making billions from oil and gas drilling, but counties say rural roads are being destroyed - Texas Tribune
Be Good or Be Gone: The Legend of McSorley’s Old Ale House - Modern Drunkard. I've never been to McSorley's. I will need to go the next time I'm in New York.
How a Defense of Christianity Revolutionized Brain Science - Nautilus
Does Tech Need Silicon Valley? - California Sunday Magazine
Two Decades of War Have Eroded the Morale of America’s Troops – The Atlantic. This is a must-read. My position has always been that the best way to honor our troops is to not send them to be maimed or killed in pointless, unwinnable wars.
A Saudi Prince’s Quest to Remake the Middle East - The New Yorker. The man's PR just isn't good enough to cover for what he's really up to.
Michael Cohen and the End Stage of the Trump Presidency - The New Yorker. I don't know, almost 46% of the voters in 2016 voted for the obviously crooked businessman, I'm not sure why even more evidence that he's a crook is going to convince them they've been conned.
Trump’s Company Is Suing Towns Across the Country to Get Breaks on Taxes — “Trump, Inc.” Podcast – ProPublica. See above for why voters won't change their opinions on this asshole.
Is It the Spending or the Taxes? Mostly the Spending, But ... – Justin Fox. In honor of Paul Ryan's (aka Bizarro Robin Hood) retirement from robbing from the poor to give to the rich.
Amid Trade Feud, Recycling Is in Danger of Landing on Trash Pile – Wall Street Journal
Where Blue-Collar America Is Strongest - FiveThirtyEight. This map reflects the best farm economy in a generation. We've seen the peak, and it is going to be worse going forward.
James Harden Isn't Playing Around – GQ
As dairy crisis crushes farmers, Wisconsin's rural identity in jeopardy - Dairy farmers have been getting pummeled. I feel awful for them.
Republican Farm Bill Calls On Many SNAP Recipients To Work Or Go To School - The Salt. Subsidies for me, but not for thee.
Texas is making billions from oil and gas drilling, but counties say rural roads are being destroyed - Texas Tribune
Be Good or Be Gone: The Legend of McSorley’s Old Ale House - Modern Drunkard. I've never been to McSorley's. I will need to go the next time I'm in New York.
How a Defense of Christianity Revolutionized Brain Science - Nautilus
Does Tech Need Silicon Valley? - California Sunday Magazine
Two Decades of War Have Eroded the Morale of America’s Troops – The Atlantic. This is a must-read. My position has always been that the best way to honor our troops is to not send them to be maimed or killed in pointless, unwinnable wars.
A Saudi Prince’s Quest to Remake the Middle East - The New Yorker. The man's PR just isn't good enough to cover for what he's really up to.
Michael Cohen and the End Stage of the Trump Presidency - The New Yorker. I don't know, almost 46% of the voters in 2016 voted for the obviously crooked businessman, I'm not sure why even more evidence that he's a crook is going to convince them they've been conned.
Trump’s Company Is Suing Towns Across the Country to Get Breaks on Taxes — “Trump, Inc.” Podcast – ProPublica. See above for why voters won't change their opinions on this asshole.
Is It the Spending or the Taxes? Mostly the Spending, But ... – Justin Fox. In honor of Paul Ryan's (aka Bizarro Robin Hood) retirement from robbing from the poor to give to the rich.
Amid Trade Feud, Recycling Is in Danger of Landing on Trash Pile – Wall Street Journal
Where Blue-Collar America Is Strongest - FiveThirtyEight. This map reflects the best farm economy in a generation. We've seen the peak, and it is going to be worse going forward.
Sunday, April 8, 2018
Early April Weekend Links
Here are a few stories from the last few days:
Playing for Pop - San Antonio Express-News
The Broncos’ Futures program saved football in Denver Public Schools. But an even bigger impact of the feeder teams might still be seen- Denver Post
“The Clock Is Ticking”: Inside the Worst U.S. Maritime Disaster in Decades – Vanity Fair. I highly recommend this article.
So 2 Goats Were Stuck On A Beam Under A Bridge ... - Goats and Soda
Iowa producers say ethanol limits would be 'war' on rural U.S. - Des Moines Register
The Great Lakes Are Filling Up With Giant Green Blobs - Mother Jones
AP sources: EPA chief spent millions on security and travel - Associated Press. Scott Pruitt is an asshat.
Humankind’s Most Important Material - The Atlantic
How Congress Used the Post Office to Unite the Nation – Bloomberg
The Future of America's Economy Looks a Lot Like Elkhart, Indiana - Wall Street Journal. People are crazy, and this boom will end in tears.
Have we reached peak English in the world? - The Guardian and Brits are in denial about their diminishing importance – Handelsblatt
A Betrayal - ProPublica. This is an awful mess.
There's no good reason to stop felons from voting - George Will (?!)
How One Man Got Rich Selling Machine Guns – Bloomberg. Another terrible investment idea.
Playing for Pop - San Antonio Express-News
The Broncos’ Futures program saved football in Denver Public Schools. But an even bigger impact of the feeder teams might still be seen- Denver Post
“The Clock Is Ticking”: Inside the Worst U.S. Maritime Disaster in Decades – Vanity Fair. I highly recommend this article.
So 2 Goats Were Stuck On A Beam Under A Bridge ... - Goats and Soda
Iowa producers say ethanol limits would be 'war' on rural U.S. - Des Moines Register
The Great Lakes Are Filling Up With Giant Green Blobs - Mother Jones
AP sources: EPA chief spent millions on security and travel - Associated Press. Scott Pruitt is an asshat.
Humankind’s Most Important Material - The Atlantic
How Congress Used the Post Office to Unite the Nation – Bloomberg
The Future of America's Economy Looks a Lot Like Elkhart, Indiana - Wall Street Journal. People are crazy, and this boom will end in tears.
Have we reached peak English in the world? - The Guardian and Brits are in denial about their diminishing importance – Handelsblatt
A Betrayal - ProPublica. This is an awful mess.
There's no good reason to stop felons from voting - George Will (?!)
How One Man Got Rich Selling Machine Guns – Bloomberg. Another terrible investment idea.
Thursday, April 5, 2018
Friday, March 30, 2018
Good Friday Links
Here are the latest stories I found interesting:
What the Spending Bill Could Mean for Minor-League Baseball Players – The New Yorker
How Loyola used information and skill -- not luck -- to reach the Final Four – ESPN
Blackhawks Play 36-Year-Old Local Accountant As Emergency Goalie - Deadspin
Flint investigator says greed and fraud led to drinking water crisis – Detroit Free Press. I'm guessing the state attorney general (who is running for governor) won't find the wrongdoing on the state level that I think probably occurred.
A Prefabricated Tragedy - Slate. A bit simplistic in parts, but it makes some interesting points.
The best federal agency you've never heard of: It helps manufacturers and now Trump wants to kill it - Philadelphia Inquirer
The robots are killing Tesla – Business Insider. That's not all that's killing it, but the piece makes some very interesting points about automation.
New Ecological Economics: Superorganism and Ultrasociality-How the agricultural revolution changed the trajectory of our social and economic evolution - Evonomics
The End of Winter - The New Yorker
More Than 75 Percent of Earth’s Land Areas Are ‘Broken,’ Major Report Finds – Motherboard
Chicago's Awful Divide - The Atlantic
Scott Pruitt’s Dirty Politics – The New Yorker. I hate this man with the energy of a thousand suns.
The Brutal Origins of Gun Rights – The New Republic
Republicans Promised to Cut the Deficit. It’s Only Getting Worse – Bloomberg. Continuing a nearly 40 year tradition. There are some great charts about how "welfare reform" isn't going to close the deficit.
What the Spending Bill Could Mean for Minor-League Baseball Players – The New Yorker
How Loyola used information and skill -- not luck -- to reach the Final Four – ESPN
Blackhawks Play 36-Year-Old Local Accountant As Emergency Goalie - Deadspin
Flint investigator says greed and fraud led to drinking water crisis – Detroit Free Press. I'm guessing the state attorney general (who is running for governor) won't find the wrongdoing on the state level that I think probably occurred.
A Prefabricated Tragedy - Slate. A bit simplistic in parts, but it makes some interesting points.
The best federal agency you've never heard of: It helps manufacturers and now Trump wants to kill it - Philadelphia Inquirer
The robots are killing Tesla – Business Insider. That's not all that's killing it, but the piece makes some very interesting points about automation.
New Ecological Economics: Superorganism and Ultrasociality-How the agricultural revolution changed the trajectory of our social and economic evolution - Evonomics
The End of Winter - The New Yorker
More Than 75 Percent of Earth’s Land Areas Are ‘Broken,’ Major Report Finds – Motherboard
Chicago's Awful Divide - The Atlantic
Scott Pruitt’s Dirty Politics – The New Yorker. I hate this man with the energy of a thousand suns.
The Brutal Origins of Gun Rights – The New Republic
Republicans Promised to Cut the Deficit. It’s Only Getting Worse – Bloomberg. Continuing a nearly 40 year tradition. There are some great charts about how "welfare reform" isn't going to close the deficit.
Monday, March 26, 2018
More March Links
A few stories that caught my eye over the weekend and the first day of work this week:
For Cincinnati Reds star Joey Votto, spring is about the process, not the batting average - Cincinnati Enquirer
To Save Whales, Maine's Iconic Lobster Industry May Have To Change - The Salt
How Syngenta won the war over weedkillers - Politico
China needs more water. So it's building a rain-making network three times the size of Spain – South China Morning Post. You have to click through just for the pictures, and the description of the "rocket technology" in use. Looks crazier than hell to me.
Elon Musk Is the Henry Ford of His Age. That's Bad. – Bloomberg
Rural hospital shutdowns force communities to take care of their own – CNBC
Can the Most Hated Man in West Virginia Win? – Politico. This dude is too ridiculous to be a cartoon villain. Why do Republican voters flock to the biggest pieces of shit and believe every ridiculous lie they tell?
The Battle For Paradise – The Intercept. Rich assholes versus Puerto Ricans.
Land of the Lawless - Lapham's Quarterly
In California's rural, conservative north, there are big dreams for cleaving the state – LA Times. If rural voters are for it, it is probably a very bad idea.
How Trump's Protectionism Could Backfire - New York Times. Great maps.
Retirees Reshape Where Americans Live – Wall Street Journal. I don't really care about the retiree angle. I just wanted to show the map of where rural areas are declining in population. Downstate Illinois looks awful.
For Cincinnati Reds star Joey Votto, spring is about the process, not the batting average - Cincinnati Enquirer
To Save Whales, Maine's Iconic Lobster Industry May Have To Change - The Salt
How Syngenta won the war over weedkillers - Politico
China needs more water. So it's building a rain-making network three times the size of Spain – South China Morning Post. You have to click through just for the pictures, and the description of the "rocket technology" in use. Looks crazier than hell to me.
Elon Musk Is the Henry Ford of His Age. That's Bad. – Bloomberg
Rural hospital shutdowns force communities to take care of their own – CNBC
Can the Most Hated Man in West Virginia Win? – Politico. This dude is too ridiculous to be a cartoon villain. Why do Republican voters flock to the biggest pieces of shit and believe every ridiculous lie they tell?
The Battle For Paradise – The Intercept. Rich assholes versus Puerto Ricans.
Land of the Lawless - Lapham's Quarterly
In California's rural, conservative north, there are big dreams for cleaving the state – LA Times. If rural voters are for it, it is probably a very bad idea.
How Trump's Protectionism Could Backfire - New York Times. Great maps.
Retirees Reshape Where Americans Live – Wall Street Journal. I don't really care about the retiree angle. I just wanted to show the map of where rural areas are declining in population. Downstate Illinois looks awful.
Friday, March 23, 2018
Late March Weekend Links
Well, I forgot to make my NCAA hockey predictions (and saved myself from demonstrating my ignorance), but I did read a few interesting stories in the last few days (and I forgot a few links that I was planning on including in the last links):
How Charles Koch Turned Wichita State into a College-Basketball Powerhouse – The New Yorker
Sisters of Sister Jean Embrace Her Loyola Team and Marvel at Her Fame – New York Times. The Times has been all over the Sister Jean story. I guess I'm not the only one who thinks cultural Catholics love a good nun story.
How $42K-a-year priest built mansion worth millions - Detroit News. And this is one of the reasons there are so many cultural and not practicing Catholics.
Robots Are Trying To Pick Strawberries. So Far, They're Not Very Good At It - The Salt
Offutt's former SD farm goes all-organic for General Mills - Ag Week. Even if farmers think it is garbage, the corporate titans are buying into organic. In other words, the consumer is steering the ship.
The last whalers - Aeon
American History for Truthdiggers: Were the Colonists Patriots or Insurgents? - Truthdig. This is a question. I have considered similar thoughts when reading about the nation's birth.
Tom and Jerry – why they’re a cat and mouse double act for the ages - The Conversation
The Intellectual We Deserve - Current Affairs. I've generally avoided the Jordan Peterson hype, but this seems like an epic takedown.
Dearborn mayor backs Ford expansion to Michigan Central Station - Detroit Free Press. It would be amazing if this comes to fruition.
How One Houston Suburb Ended Up in a Reservoir – New York Times. Mainly it is that the Corps didn't buy all the ground they should have, and nobody had the balls to tell developers to GTFO.
Radar images show large swath of West Texas oil patch is heaving and sinking at alarming rates - SMU Research. This may be nothing, or it may end up being very significant.
The Democrats’ Rural Voter Problem (and How to Fix It) - The New Republic. The argument is interesting, if flawed, but it gets at the central issue with the Democratic party: how have they ceded economically populist voters to the party of Oligarchs (it is because they have become the party of socially progressive Oligarchs)?
Everyone Tries To Dodge The Tax Man, And It Keeps Getting Easier - FiveThirtyEight. The perfect chart for the week of National Ag Day.
How Charles Koch Turned Wichita State into a College-Basketball Powerhouse – The New Yorker
Sisters of Sister Jean Embrace Her Loyola Team and Marvel at Her Fame – New York Times. The Times has been all over the Sister Jean story. I guess I'm not the only one who thinks cultural Catholics love a good nun story.
How $42K-a-year priest built mansion worth millions - Detroit News. And this is one of the reasons there are so many cultural and not practicing Catholics.
Robots Are Trying To Pick Strawberries. So Far, They're Not Very Good At It - The Salt
Offutt's former SD farm goes all-organic for General Mills - Ag Week. Even if farmers think it is garbage, the corporate titans are buying into organic. In other words, the consumer is steering the ship.
The last whalers - Aeon
American History for Truthdiggers: Were the Colonists Patriots or Insurgents? - Truthdig. This is a question. I have considered similar thoughts when reading about the nation's birth.
Tom and Jerry – why they’re a cat and mouse double act for the ages - The Conversation
The Intellectual We Deserve - Current Affairs. I've generally avoided the Jordan Peterson hype, but this seems like an epic takedown.
Dearborn mayor backs Ford expansion to Michigan Central Station - Detroit Free Press. It would be amazing if this comes to fruition.
How One Houston Suburb Ended Up in a Reservoir – New York Times. Mainly it is that the Corps didn't buy all the ground they should have, and nobody had the balls to tell developers to GTFO.
Radar images show large swath of West Texas oil patch is heaving and sinking at alarming rates - SMU Research. This may be nothing, or it may end up being very significant.
The Democrats’ Rural Voter Problem (and How to Fix It) - The New Republic. The argument is interesting, if flawed, but it gets at the central issue with the Democratic party: how have they ceded economically populist voters to the party of Oligarchs (it is because they have become the party of socially progressive Oligarchs)?
Everyone Tries To Dodge The Tax Man, And It Keeps Getting Easier - FiveThirtyEight. The perfect chart for the week of National Ag Day.
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
I'm Getting a Bad Feeling About This
I have to say that my fear that we will end up in a war with Iran or North Korea or both increased significantly today. I can't say that Mike Pompeo is as dumb as Trump, considering his extremely impressive resume, but the fact that he agrees with Trump about North Korea, Iran, climate change and environmental regulation is absolutely terrifying. I didn't really think our country's future was tremendously bright before today, but it got quite a bit darker in this spin on the earth's axis.
Friday, February 16, 2018
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Chart of the Day: Sources of Wealth
If you want a good illustration of why business tax cuts overwhelmingly favor the extremely wealthy, this chart from Visual Capitalist does the job:
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Bomb Cyclone Demonstrates Boston's Climate Vulnerability
Boston Globe:
It’s time to start talking about ways to protect entire neighborhoods from rising seas, Abbott said. Actually, she said, Thursday’s storm showed it’s well past time.If I had a dollar for every time I've seen somebody comment that 100-year floods are occurring much more frequently, and that they will have to be recalculated, I wouldn't have to go to work tomorrow. As it is, it is very obvious that climate change deniers are endangering everyone when they prevent planning for future flooding and other storm damage.
“We keep talking like this is something that’s coming in 30 years,” she said. “The reality is it has been coming for a while now.”
And experts expect it will become more common, with sea levels in the region projected to rise between 3 and 7 feet by the end of the century. A city report in 2015 found that rising sea levels could make major flooding three times more frequent by 2030 and 10 times more common by 2050.
Both Walsh and Jack Clarke, director of public policy at Mass Audubon, said Thursday’s storm is a wake-up call.
“The reality of climate change makes storms like this the new normal,” Clarke said.
Indeed it was so intense that flooding exceeded what scientists typically call a 100-year storm, meaning one like it only comes once a century.
Climate change, though, is fast upending those calculations.
“This flood level will occur a lot more frequently in the future,” said Paul Kirshen, a professor in the School for the Environment at the University of Massachusetts Boston who studies coastal flooding and sea rise. “It’s possible that at the end of this century we could be seeing these kinds of tides with every tide.”
Monday, November 13, 2017
Mid-November Links
I have a bunch more stories than this, but if I don't publish some I probably won't publish any.
Greetings From Palau, The Micronesian Archipelago That Baseball Built - Deadspin
The war against Pope Francis - The Guardian
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The Saintliness of Undecayed Corpses - The Atlantic
The Adaptable Cattle Saving Ranchers From Drought - The Atlantic
A Crimson Fracture in the Sky - Topic
Becoming a Steelworker Liberated Her. Then Her Job Moved to Mexico. - New York Times. Rexnord. They are one of our suppliers at work, and the transition to Mexico has been difficult, to say the least.
The Decline of the Midwest's Public Universities Threatens to Wreck Its Most Vibrant Economies - The Atlantic
The Great College Loan Swindle - Rolling Stone. Taibbi in fine form.
The Mythical Whiteness of Trump Country - Boston Review
Here's What Happens When Republicans Have No One To Fight - Buzzfeed
Greetings From Palau, The Micronesian Archipelago That Baseball Built - Deadspin
The war against Pope Francis - The Guardian
\
The Saintliness of Undecayed Corpses - The Atlantic
The Adaptable Cattle Saving Ranchers From Drought - The Atlantic
A Crimson Fracture in the Sky - Topic
Becoming a Steelworker Liberated Her. Then Her Job Moved to Mexico. - New York Times. Rexnord. They are one of our suppliers at work, and the transition to Mexico has been difficult, to say the least.
The Decline of the Midwest's Public Universities Threatens to Wreck Its Most Vibrant Economies - The Atlantic
The Great College Loan Swindle - Rolling Stone. Taibbi in fine form.
The Mythical Whiteness of Trump Country - Boston Review
Here's What Happens When Republicans Have No One To Fight - Buzzfeed
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