Open for sesame
What a strange feeling for a libertarian to write about a policy idea and see it enthusiastically put into practice. Is this what it’s like for non-libertarian writers all the time? Regardless, that’s what’s happening with my recent Reason piece advocating that we let people drink outside (not that I suspect legislators are reading my work). Proposals for making that possible include legalizing to-go cocktails, opening more public outdoor spaces for dining, and eliminating open container laws altogether. A few (of many) examples of these in action: DC will likely make to-go cocktails a permanent reality; Norfolk, Virginia is showing how cities can take an active role in transforming outdoor spaces; a bill in Michigan would legalize “social districts” in which open containers will be permitted.
Liberalization of laws restricting tobacco and nicotine is less likely, and legislators definitely aren’t reading my book on that. World Vape Day and World No Tobacco Day are both this weekend, so I’ve put the Kindle edition of The Rediscovery of Tobacco on sale for just $5.99 this week. This is the lowest price it’s ever been, so if you’re curious to read it, this is the time!
COVID reading
I’ve been tied up lately writing a new magazine feature, which will be out this summer. As a result there’s a lot to catch up on…
This week the United States passed the grim benchmark of more than 100,000 deaths officially attributed to COVID-19. You’ve probably seen the New York Times front page listing 1,000 of these obituaries, just 1% of the total. Their online representation is an even more affecting way of grappling with the scale of these deaths. See also this graphic from Buzzfeed. It’s striking that this national calamity feels too often treated as 100,000 scattered personal tragedies; the blunt reason for this is that we are saddled with a president uniquely incapable of empathy and whose reelection depends on denying the enormity of the pandemic and his failure to respond to it.
In reality, 100,000 deaths is an understatement. Maggie Koerth explains why current confirmed cases undercount the actual toll. Relatedly, the CDC now has an online tool visualizing excess deaths in the United States.
How does the risk of COVID compare to things like skydiving or fighting in a war? This can be quantified.
Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune provides a detailed look at superspreading events and the environments most likely to host them.
I’ve mentioned economist Paul Romer’s plan for massively increased testing before. He talks to Tyler Cowen about that and other topics in the newest Conversations with Tyler.
Does the FDA know there’s a pandemic happening? The agency is shutting down one of the most promising testing projects.
In addition to testing, contract tracing will help contain the virus once it has been suppressed. To some extent, the two practices are substitutes: with more robust tracing, you can do less random testing. Wired and Pro Publica both have informative guides about what it takes to be a contact tracer. (If you live in Oregon, you can apply to be a contract tracer here. I’ve submitted my info.)
Alex Tabarrok and Puja Ahluwalia Ohlhaver explain how re-opening the economy could be reasonably safe and cost-effective, with the right tools in place.
Should wet markets be banned? The Economist makes the case for a more moderate approach.
The question of whether business interruption insurance should cover this pandemic has been contentious in the hospitality industry. Ray Lehmann argues that private insurance likely can’t cover events like this and makes the case for a federal option.
I recommend this long piece by Ezra Klein on the president as risk manager, and how a reckless leader like Trump makes catastrophic dangers like the current pandemic more likely to occur.
Other recommended reading
Wilfred Chan on lost freedoms and the “infinite heartbreak of loving Hong Kong.”
Timothy Lee on how the rapidly falling cost of batteries enables a bright future for clean energy.
A look at the hyperindividualized media business models of services like Cameo, Patreon, and Substack (the one you’re reading now!).
It’s impossible to keep up with every vile Trump tweet, but his promotion of a baseless conspiracy that torments an innocent family is indeed a new low. Peter Wehner is worth reading.
Thanks to the Libertarian Party, there will be a woman on the this year’s presidential ballot. Meet Jo Jorgensen.
Social distancing
To watch: I enjoyed Tales from the Loop, the new Amazon Prime TV series adapted from Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag’s retro sci-fi paintings that blend mysterious technology with nostalgia for small town, rural landscapes. The episodes are slow-paced and evocative, never quite explaining exactly how things work to focus more closely on how weird events disrupt ordinary lives. Read more on Inside Hook.
To read: On the topic of weird science, I learned a lot from Something Deeply Hidden, Sean Carroll’s exploration of the many-worlds theory of quantum mechanics. It’s the most engaging book on physics I’ve read in a long time.
To drink: I haven’t had much chance to get creative with cocktails lately, but a tofu dish from the Adventures in Starry Kitchen cookbook (recommended btw!) inspired me to make something new. No, there’s no tofu in it; the cocktail draws on the ingredients in the dressing, a refreshing combination of sesame leaves and citrus.
2 oz mezcal
1 1/2 oz sesame-citrus mix*
1/2 tsp white creme de cacao
egg white
orange peel and sesame leaf, for garnish
Combine all ingredients in a shaker, adding the egg white and sesame-citrus mix first. Shake without ice to aerate it, shake again with ice, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
*Sesame-citrus mix
4 oz lime juice
2 oz orange juice
1 1/2 oz rich simple syrup (2 parts sugar to 1 part water)
5-6 sesame leaves (perilla)
Blend everything, pour through a fine strainer to remove leaf bits, and refrigerate. Makes enough for 4 cocktails.
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