Political science, economics, data science, and environmentalism
The northern tip of Brazil is closer to every country in the Americas than the southernmost point of Brazil. The eastern tip of Brazil is closer to Portugal than the Pacific Ocean. Brazil is HUGE. Key West is closer to every other country in the Americas than it is to Nuvuk (Point Barrow), Alaska. Attu …
Continue reading “Potentially surprising geography distance facts”
Stroads and urban highways are great because it means you can have more bus lanes, meaning no need for rail, with fast moving buses all throughout your city connecting your neighborhoods which will never have rail because rail is too expensive while highways are cheap. We should build more of this transit oriented infrastructure because …
In response to https://captainstack.medium.com/washington-legislature-kills-universal-healthcare-bill-2ae7b804da34 “SJM.8006 is not a long bill. It is not complicated. It costs no money. It has no risk of legal challenge.” In other words, it was not a universal health care bill. So whether it passed or failed, everything would stay the same. They need to try again with a bill …
Continue reading “Washington State Universal Health Care Resolution”
Relationships There are several major players in this convoluted mess, and each of them has a complex relationship with the other: ISIS Hamas Palestinian Authority Russia Israel Ukraine United States the rest of NATO ISIS Russia Israel Ukraine United States NATO Hamas Palestinian Authority Syria (Assad) ISIS hostile hostile hostile hostile hostile complicated At …
It’s exhausting. On a per-vehicle basis, buses are cheaper to run than trains. On a passenger km basis, if both vehicles are full, the train is cheaper to run than the bus, keeping capacity constant. Buses are great for low-demand routes. Great transit systems use buses extensively for local routes, solving that last mile problem …
It is obvious to anyone with a passive interest in foreign relations at this point that the Gaza war is a massive humanitarian crisis given how Israel is killing civilians and denying food to enter the region. That by itself should be enough for every democracy to stop providing aid to that rogue nation. But …
Continue reading “The Gaza War is bad for American security”
I-93 will now start in Woburn. The I-93 tunnel will be turned into a rail tunnel connecting the North and South stations. The rest of I-93 south of Woburn will be reclaimed urban space. Problem solved.
Ukraine is right to attack Russian oil refineries. Very few civilian deaths. Handicaps the ability of Russia to provide oil to their military. This saves many civilian lives. Doesn’t harm Ukraine, the EU, or the US at all. Russia is not allowed to export oil to Europe anyways because that money flows right to Putin’s …
Continue reading “Ukraine is right to attack Russian oil infrastructure”
https://www.ft.com/content/98f15b60-bc4d-4d3c-9e57-cbdde122ac0c Biden is asking Ukraine to stop attacking Russian military targets inside Russia. This guy totally sucks, he should not have run for reelection. He is currently swinging 0 for 3 in terms of foreign policy crises. He is a mere accelerationist, exactly the thing his ilk thinks all progressives are, where really its only …
My grandmother is a retired 1st grade teacher, and my grandfather is a veteran. She was able to save up money with those salaries to save enough money in my 541 plan that if it was not for the slashing of education funding in 2008 that the money she saved with the interest it had …