Favorites January 27th 2022

Jason Furman @jasonfurman

GDP growth dramatically outpaced forecasts made a year ago. Most forecasters expected the economy to grow 3 to 4 percent this year. Instead it has grown 5.5 percent. That is more than a percentage point faster than even the most optimistic forecast was expecting.

Aww yea

Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias

Because the y-axis is wrong, lots of people who would never just directly rebroadcast messaging from the White House will rebroadcast this tweet with a bit of criticism — complete with the totally accurate fact that it’s the fastest growth since 1984 https://t.co/C0cfDWySIs

The White House @WhiteHouse

We just learned that President Biden’s first year in office was the strongest year for economic growth since 1984. https://t.co/I3qpODiHqy

You would not believe how many people retweeted this chart today.

zeynep tufekci @zeynep

I post this regularly, and many express surprise. This is the current childhood immunization schedule. Many childhood vaccines are three+ doses, sometimes a booster. This is one reason why, unlike earlier centuries, we don't have cemeteries full of children. We've forgotten.

"That's a lot of microchips"

Ezra Klein @ezraklein

Essentially, no one notices things getting better, only worse. From a policy perspective, temporary programs are a bad idea.

Zoë McLaren, PhD @ZoeMcLaren

Variant-specific vaccine formulations will be more effective at reducing breakthroughs and slowing transmission. Pharma companies need to be compelled to speed up the timeline. Biden should make this a priority.

Helen Branswell @HelenBranswell

Pfizer begins a trial comparing an Omicron-specific vaccine against the OG version. But as ⁦@matthewherper⁩ reports, it’s unclear what the timeline to an updated #Covid vaccine will be, if that path is taken. https://t.co/WNNefrgdz8

There was a short period where it seemed like maybe an omicron specific booster would mean less protection against other possible variants, but given that the omicron spike isn't falling nearly as fast as was initially projected, we should be preparing to switch strategies.

Brandon Butch @BrandonButch

Well this is new 🤔 (iOS 15.4 Beta 1)

To be clear, this is separate from the 'unlock with watch when you're wearing a mask.' Siegler calls it 'fantastic but depressing'. Viticci, ever the iOS expert, already has all the details if you're interested.

Neoliberal 🌐 (Save the CTC!) @ne0liberal

Portland, ME passed a "Green New Deal" that requires 25% of newly-constructed units to be "affordable." Now, a year after the bill was passed, new construction in the city is down 82%. I am begging progs to actually make the "Green New Deal" green.

mainebiz.bizResidential construction permits in Portland down 82% since Green New DealThe Green New Deal, which put affordability requirements on new construction in Portland, has led to a drop in development since its passage, according to a new report by the Boulos Co.

I generally favor inclusive zoning, but always with the caveat that the sweet spot for the total number of affordable units created is when the requirement is somewhere below 20%

Benjamin Mayo @bzamayo

how it started … how it’s going

Santa Cruz, March 2021