Breaking my streak
We’re a month out from the election, but due to this year’s unusual circumstances, more people are voting early or by mail than ever before. In every previous presidential election in which I’ve been eligible, I’ve voted for the Libertarian candidate. It probably won’t surprise you to know that this year I’m breaking my streak and casting my first vote for a major party presidential candidate. Today at Arc Digital, in a piece titled “A Pox on One of Their Houses,” I make the case for setting policy differences aside and voting for Joe Biden.
We recently endured a rather miserable week in Portland in which the city was blanketed by wildfire smoke. With the virus shutting down indoor businesses, and the smoke shutting down outdoor meetups, most of us spent the week stuck inside our homes. There was one group, however, that was required to spend their days working outdoors: the fuel attendants who work Oregon gas pumps because of Oregon’s archaic law banning self-service. Some stations reverted to self-service anyway, a decision that may or may not have been legal. State officials never did give me an answer. I dove into the problem for Medium.
Lastly, September 18 was the anniversary of the release of my most recent book, The Rediscovery of Tobacco. I wrote about how it’s held up and whether it’s worth writing self-published books on niche areas of public policy.
Recommended reading
I wrote my article for Arc before Trump was diagnosed with COVID. For background on his potential prognosis based on what limited (and possibly already outdated) public data we have, read James Hamblin. As for what might happen to the election if the worst should happen, read Richard Hasen.
If you read just one article about what we’re learning about how COVID spreads and what we can change to contain it, don’t miss this one by Zeynep Tufekci. It’s just incredibly good science writing.
Andrew Sullivan at his best: Donald Trump as Shakespeare’s Richard III.
The final jobs report before the election is out. Josh Barro looks at what it reveals and what to expect from a K-shaped recovery.
Of particular interest for my Texas readers, a look at the competing proposals for the “Ike Dike” and the question of whether anything will be done in time to prevent a disaster in the Houston Ship Channel.
I haven’t owned a car in years, but one of the best decisions I’ve made in Portland was picking up a motor scooter. Beginning a new series at Inside Hook, Alex Lauer looks at the history of the Vespa in the United States, why it hasn’t taken off here as elsewhere, and whether COVID could bring it back.
Social distancing
To read: In my article for Arc Digital, I referenced How Democracies Die, a book by political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt on a topic that is distressingly relevant to our own country. It’s of particular note under Trump, but it may make you more pessimistic about the ability to break the cycle of norm-breaking escalation no matter who is in charge. For a much happier read, check out Brian Bartels’s The United States of Cocktails. It’s a love letter to American drinking culture and a road trip across the US. I make a few cameos, too, including in the brief history of the bone luge. Here’s a good New York Times review.
To cook: Mala Market is out with a new shao kao spice blend made with cumin and other spices. It’s designed for rubbing on meat before grilling, and it’s fantastic.
To drink: Negroni Week is over, but it’s still a good time to start an Infinite Negroni bottle. Over at Punch Drink, Aaron Goldfarb looks at the quietly rising popularity of the infinity cocktail concept.
I’ve been revisiting one of my old cocktails from Carlyle, the first bar I worked at in Portland. It’s called the John Jones, and it’s very much of that 2008-09 era: rye whiskey (and lots of it), Carpano Antica for the vermouth, amaro, and a flamed orange peel. It’s just a three-ingredient Boulevardier riff, but it’s easy to make and has that dark New York cocktail bar feel that we cultivated at Carlyle.
2 oz rye whiskey
3/4 oz Carpano Antica sweet vermouth
3/4 oz Ramazzotti amaro
orange peel, for garnish
Stir with ice, then strain onto a big ice cube. Take a strip of orange peel and squeeze the oils through the flame of a match or lighter, igniting them as they land on the surface of the drink. This gives it a hint of smoke, but mostly just looks cool.
A favor
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