Favorites July 17 2021

I’ve got a lot of crazy stuff today. Just look at this:

Whitley @Videotapezzz

I wonder if the most physically gifted people on the planet can figure out how to have sex standing up

Plus, this distance runner says that folks in his event could fit four to a bed, easy. Also, I just, I almost can’t believe this is real.

Jessica Calarco @JessicaCalarco

Waiting a few extra months for kids 0-12 may help convince some parents, but the parents my team and interviewed who were still deciding often said they wanted *years* of data, not months. Meanwhile, extending the timeline increases kids' Covid risk now.

Assessing complex risks is not one of humanities strong suits.

Bernie Sanders @BernieSanders

The next time you hear Republicans start to talk about 'family values' this or 'party of the working class' that, remember: every single Republican in the House and the Senate voted AGAINST giving working families direct monthly payments of up to $300 per child.

Yes! raise the salience of issues where democrats are strong! I like it!

Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias

Medical ethics is such a wild field that seems to exist in some universe that’s hermetically sealed off from normal ethics.

Paying people to do things that we’re certain are good for them (and society) in the long term, such a conundrum.

Matt Weiser 🦇 @matt_weiser

These are some pretty dramatic efforts in the works to avoid complete loss of water supply in Marin Co. next year. It’s all just in case the drought continues another year (which it certainly could do). https://t.co/jXidPwOKg2

Will Houston @Will_S_Houston

Marin County's largest water supply says it has found a potential vendor for temporary desalination plants and four Central Valley water suppliers that could transfer water to the county through a pipeline across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. https://t.co/bCp2PGtSrm

I have absolutely been wondering about this. I hope someone is building even more desalination capacity in the Bay Area, because we're gonna need it soon.

Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias

To get away from today’s fights, something I learned this past weekend is that if you want to call your group a “PTA” you need to pay dues to a national PTA umbrella organization and that’s my kid’s school goes rogue and has a Parent Teacher Organization.

I’m sorry, what? “PTA” is a franchise? Wikipedia agrees, not clear how it’s enforced though.

Noah Smith 🐇 @Noahpinion

Cuba's economy is suffering from: * A badly organized system to begin with * Covid, a tourism collapse, and high food prices * The badly timed end of their dual currency * The collapse of Venezuelan oil supplies No oil + No dollars = No food

noahpinion.substack.comWhy Cuba is having an economic crisisThree crises and a whole lot of bad policy decisions have driven hungry Cubans into the streets.

I found this exceedingly informative.

The Hired Swords ⚔ A D&D5e Podcast @TheHiredSwords

Why do I want to write a character backstory based off this revelation?? #DnD #History

It’s not going to be particularly good resolution, I can just imagine Lincoln squinting trying to read the brushstrokes.

May 2020