Sean Meriwether's Blog: The Green Economist, page 10

Update from Midtown Manhattan

NY Dispatch Day 148: At the moment NYC is the safest it has been since January with regard to COVID-19. The daily new case load for the metro area is in the 200s, most of which is outside of Manhattan. I measured the risk and found it to be minimal, though not zero, and wanted to take the opportunity to come into the city today because who knows what the fall might hold.

My line on Metro North is still recovering from the impact of Tropical Storm Isaias, so they are running on a holiday schedule...

See you in November

NY Dispatch Day 147: Yesterday I received a postcard solicitation that I do not recall receiving before. The Westchester Board of Elections is looking for qualified individuals to work as election inspectors. There is one reason that I received this notification, COVID-19. Most poll workers are older adults who are especially vulnerable to the worst outcomes of this virus. In all of the years I have voted in my district, and I have voted in every election, the same four older women are sitting a...

The worst ache is the present ache

NY Dispatch Day 146: Six years ago 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate—used for fertilizer and homemade bombs—was confiscated by the Lebanese government. It was improperly stored on a pier in Beirut. Although there were several warnings about the risks the neglected material posed, the government chose not to take action. On August 4th it exploded, killing 154 people, injuring more than 5,000, and leaving 300,000 people displaced. Lebanon is no stranger to turmoil. Once known as the Paris of the Mi...

I believe you have my stapler…

NY Dispatch Day 145: On Monday I am going to do something I have not been required to do for five months — go to the office. My office in midtown Manhattan opened in mid-July with 10% occupancy. My company has been accommodating to individual circumstances. Those who have health issues in their household, child/elder care needs, or other concerns are being given a waiver for the time being. Everyone else is encouraged to go in, at least one day over the rest of the summer, to dip their toes in t...

The Anti-Manhattan Project

NY Dispatch Day 144: 75 years ago today the United States detonated an atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. A few days later they targeted Nagasaki. The combined bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, primarily civilians. Survivors suffered the short term consequences of painful death by acute radiation syndrome (ARS), and the long term effects of increased cancer, birth defects, and psychological trauma. These have remained the only two bombs that were used in warfare a...

90 Days and Counting

NY Dispatch Day 143: There are 90 days left until the US elections. The results will be delayed, perhaps by weeks, with millions of mail-in ballots and anticipated legal challenges for most of the state and federal elections. We will need to prepare ourselves for the wait, as well as Russian interference, voting during a pandemic, systemic voter suppression, and the most expensive and divisive race ever. It will be one for the books.

Historically speaking incumbents tend to have the advantage, e...

The Bicycle Diaries

NY Dispatch Day 142: The remnant of Hurricane Isaias is barreling up the coast, knocking down trees and knocking out power, adding one more complication to our already unprecedented summer. Hurricanes in any form rarely make it up this far north, but we should anticipate more storm activity as our climate changes. For the Northeast this was more of a wind event and the tremendous gusts battering my apartment building are vibrating the walls. Nature is incredible.

The weather was radically differ...

45 the Master Illusionist

NY Dispatch Day 138: One of the key talents of illusionists is the ability to trick their audience into believing what they see. They can achieve this with slight of hand and distraction. They may not claim to be magicians, but it feels like magic. The best illusionists must practice for years to perfect their tricks, and so has our president. Whenever he wants to change the subject all he needs to do is take to Twitter and say something ridiculous, typically misspelled, and the media takes is s...

Kal-El, an Immigrant’s Story

NY Dispatch Day 137: An infant is saved from certain death by his parents, who send him far from home. The boy is raised by a foster family. He grows up to become a reporter, but repays his adopted home by fighting crime with his special powers. While we tend to think of Superman as an American hero, his is an immigrant’s story. Michael Chabon fictionalized this interpretation in The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, in which a young Jewish artist escapes Nazi-invaded Prague and brings his ...

150,000 Dead and Counting

NY Dispatch Day 136: The United States has passed another preventable milestone. 150,000 COVID-19 related deaths with a running average of over 1,000 per day. While most other countries have used science, testing, contact tracing, masks and social distancing to keep this highly contagious virus in check, our country has responded with a rebel yell rebellion against common sense. We have embraced conspiracy theories, automatic rifles, and deep-seated self-entitlement. “I’m an American,” these inc...