Favorites May 2nd 2022

San Jose, May 2022

The Kyiv Independent @KyivIndependent

⚡️UN: Russian blockade prevents export of 4.5 million tons of Ukrainian wheat. As a result of Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian ports, sea routes cannot be accessed to export Ukrainian grains.

They're not just stopping the grain from being exported, they're stealing it too.

Bob Wachter @Bob_Wachter

Covid case numbers less reliable than before (home testing, fewer test sites). Our @UCSF asymptomatic test pos rate (ATPR) remains a good proxy for community prevalence. Bad news: in last few weeks, ATPR is⬆3-fold, now 3.4%. Implies ~1/30 asymptomatic folks in SF are pos. (1/4)

This makes me wonder what percentage of people with no symptoms test positive for a common cold. There's no way it's 3%, right?

The Mind Scourge @Lindy_War

Remember people saying you can only do this in China? It’s an oddly comforting argument, as it removes our failure to build to the realm of metaphysics. But turns out, no, it’s just a boring old policy choice/failure

berkeleyside.orgPrefab housing complex for UC Berkeley students goes up in four daysA four-story apartment building destined to house grad students went up in four days in July, including beds, sinks, sofas, and stoves. It is slated to open this month.

Furthermore, factory style production is something that *does* scale well. This build was fast, but it was only slightly cheaper, but if we did more of it, prices would actually come down.

POLITICO @politico

The Supreme Court has voted to strike down Roe v. Wade, according to an initial draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito and obtained by POLITICO. “We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” Alito writes.

politico.comExclusive: Supreme Court has voted to overturn abortion rights, draft opinion shows“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” Justice Alito writes in an initial majority draft circulated inside the court.

Raising the saliency of abortion is probably bad for Republicans, which may be why this leaked. Here are stats on abortion opinions by party. Susan Collins was mentioned by multiple commenters.

Threads about Ukraine

• Here's a thread summarizing the interview with the head of Ukrainian Military Intelligence which appears to be the source of the grain theft accusation against Russia.

• Another short thread about Russian tires, deep dive on why some of them are labeled 'made in the USSR' in english.

• Thread about how Russia is continuing to get bogged down by drip-feeding their troops into the war, and another about an expected declaration of war against Ukraine.