Favorites September 14th 2021

Noah Smith 🐇 @Noahpinion

More than 75% of planned coal projects have been scrapped since 2015. That's incredible.

theguardian.comMost plans for new coal plants scrapped since Paris agreementReport by climate groups found more than three-quarters of projects were discarded after the deal was signed

This is great news! Follow up: more than half of the remaining in-progress coal plants are in China, hopefully that will change.

Derek Thompson @DKThomp

Social media is attention alcohol. It has some beneficial qualities, but it's not naturally wholesome. Many ppl use it often and love it and are basically okay. But a lot of people abuse it and develop unhealthy compulsions with it. Also, it's functionally a depressant.

From this wsj article.

Patrick Collison @patrickc

I think there’s a lot to this. Why is childcare so expensive? To a significant extent, bad housing policy. Why is inequality rising? To a significant extent, bad housing policy. Repeat…

worksinprogress.coThe housing theory of everything - Works in ProgressWestern housing shortages do not just prevent many from ever affording their own home. They also drive inequality, climate change, low productivity growth, obesity, and even falling fertility rates.

Everything in the western world comes back to land use and housing.

L.D. @JustAGuyPlayin

@mattyglesias My "I'm certainly not planning on initiating a preemptive armed conflict with China" phone call is raising a lot of questions answered by my phone call.

Michael S. Schmidt @nytmike

NEW: Woodward and Costa's new book says the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff twice called his Chinese counterpart in the final months of the Trump administration to reassure him Trump had no plans to attack China in an effort to remain in power

nytimes.comFears That Trump Might Launch a Strike Prompted General to Reassure China, Book SaysIn a sign of his concerns, the nation’s highest-ranking military officer also gathered commanders to remind them of the safeguards in the nuclear launch procedures.

Also some surprising tid-bits about Dan Quale having saved democracy which was not on my Bingo card.

Meg Tirrell @megtirrell

Pfizer CFO on timeline for #covid19 vaccine for kids, today at Morgan Stanley conf: -results in kids 5-11 by end of Sept, filing for EUA early Oct -filing for EUA for kids 6 months - 5 years about a month later, early Nov (clarity on timeline for younger kids is new) (1/2)

This is still too slow but it's good to have a clearer picture.

Darrell Owens @IDoTheThinking

Mayor @JesseArreguin on why he evolved on building more housing: "I didn't understand that, if you build more housing, that reduces displacement pressure because somebody who can afford a new apartment can move in there rather than pricing out an existing tenant."

Gotta agree with Owens that it's really impressive to see someone changing their mind on something based on new info.

David Atkins @DavidOAtkins

One of the biggest stories of the California recall election is how conservative voters once again decided to cut out the middle man and just go straight for the wingnut infotainment guy. The GOP is a Fox News/AM Radio cult top to bottom, the politicians increasingly a sideshow.

Republicans tried to run a moderate and he was ignored by their voters.

Nick Turner @NewsyNick

Schwarzenegger retains status as the only person to win a gubernatorial recall election in California (and the only governor to appear in “Total Recall”)

Bloomberg Politics @bpolitics

California voters reject effort to remove Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom from office in recall election - AP https://t.co/ZlfYQGBWAi

Gavin Newsom handily defeated the recall attempt. Big winner here is Feinstein.

March 2021, Santa Cruz