I’ve been a PayPal customer for more than a decade, but closed my account last week. 2022 has shown glimpses of what a social credit system might look like in America. Decentralized, yet singular in ideology.
Politics
Medicine Should Be About Care, Not Self-Righteousness
On the unwillingness of University of Michigan medical school students to hear views that might conflict with their own.
Recession: What’s in a Name?
The White House kicks off its effort to change the most commonly accepted criterion of recession: two or more successive quarters of negative GDP growth.
Washingtonians, How’s your State of Emergency Going?
Governor Jay Inslee of Washington was the first to declare a State of Emergency, and he may be the last one to rescind it. “Never let a crisis go to waste” has a corollary, and that is: “Preserve the crisis.”
Growing Number of Firms Take Action on Russia-Ukraine
Here’s a current list of what some major corporations are (and are not) doing vis-a-vis Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as of Friday, March 4th 2022. This is rapidly changing, of course, and I cannot guarantee I’ll be keeping it up-to-date. Be sure to double-check their latest policies.
The Filter Bubble, Lenses and Belonging
Being willing to update one’s prior assumptions in the face of new evidence is the essence of learning. If you haven’t changed your mind on something important in the past five years, check your filter bubble.
Open Letter to Seattle City Council Regarding Bill 120247 (Diversion and City Attorney’s Office)
The council is trying to place unprecedented restrictions on the City Attorney’s office, without even knowing what the most important outcome metrics are of the approach it is demanding.
Inflation Shoots to 40-year High
This is new for a whole lot of Americans. The last time inflation was this high, you hadn’t ever heard of the term “e-mail.”
Twitter’s New CEO and Freedom of Speech
What does the changing of the guard at Twitter suggest about free speech online?
New Book Argues That Our Approach to Homelessness Won’t Work
Why are west coast cities suffering through a seemingly intractable growth in homelessness? What can we learn from the relative successes of Amsterdam, Lisbon, Miami and even New York City?