Why New Infrastructure Is a National Imperative
Time to do something about America’s creaky infrastructure.
Read more...Category Archives: Infrastructure
Contact Tracing Via Old Shoe-Leather Epidemiology While Spurning the Techno-Fix Fairy: How Hong Kong Quells COVID-19 Without Killing Civil Liberties
Countries jostle to surrender civil liberties to a techno-fix app to quell COVID-19, but should instead heed Hong Kong’s low-tech lesson.
Read more...India’s Poorest Now Have Access to Basic Bank Accounts, and Many Already Received their First Cash Stimulus Payment By Last Saturday; Meanwhile the IRS May Get You Your $1200 Check in Five Months
A tale of two stimuli: the Modi government has already made some direct deposits; some Americans will wait five months to receive checks.
Read more...The EU’s Green Deal: Bismarck’s ‘What Is Possible’ versus Thunberg’s ‘What Is Imperative’ in the Age of Covid-19
A detailed look at the Green Deal: bold goals, with a shortage of money, transition plans, and social democracy.
Read more...The CARES Act: Stimulus and Unemployment Checks
Who gets a check? How much will the check be? How long will the check take to arrive? When will the checks stop?
Read more...Puerto Rico: Earthquake Aftershocks and Aftermath
Thousands of the inhabitants of Puerto Rico still huddle in outdoor shelters, and FEMA has yet to approve assisted rent to relocate people.
Read more...Could Sleeper Trains Replace International Air Travel?
After years of decline, night train services are again expanding, in part to cater to passengers who try to avoid air travel for environmental reasons.
Read more...California Governor Newsom Nixes PG&E Bankruptcy Plan
California governor Newsom’s rejection of PG&E bankruptcy plan forces the company to present an alternative before Tuesday.
Read more...PG&E Failed California. Here’s How the State Could Turn Things Around.
How PG&E came to dominate California’s electricity market, plus discussion of options to fix the fiery mess it has created.
Read more...Electronic Voting Machine Debacle Continues in 2019, Setting Dangerous Precedent for 2020
Bloomberg’s recent story on electronic voting machines is good, but ignores their private equity owners, soft-pedals the role of corruption, and ignores the incursion of the intelligence community into the voting process.
Read more...Phase One of Grenfell Tower Inquiry Released, Towers Not Up to Code, Suggestions for Firefighters
Hot takes on the Phase One Grenfell Towers report, which makes good suggestions for the firefighters and determines that the Towers were not up to code, and what should happen in Phase Two.
Read more...Mangroves, Climate Change, and Mobilization
Mangrove forests as carbon sinks, and measures to restore them when they’ve been damaged.
Read more...Take the (Night) Train Redux
My recent trip on the night train from High Point, North Carolina, to NYC.
Read more...A European Perspective on Boeing’s 737 MAX Debacle: An “Existential Crisis” for a National Champion
Four existential threats to Boeing: Adverse court judgments, losing insurance retroactively, new competitors, and the end of today’s regulatory regime.
Read more...Libra: The Known Unknowns and Unknown Unknowns
The article assesses the information as yet made available about Libra, including the implications for its exchangeability, scalability, privacy, and security. It is clear the design of the currency is yet to be finished, and many questions remain about its governance and structure.
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