Morning Belz, July 6
Two-parent households.
Say no to algorithms and “engagement” — Chris Best*
Switzerland to shut down nuclear, no replacement — FT
New effort to cover batteries/EVs — Axios
Nikole Hannah-Jones to join Howard, not UNC — The Hill
Wyoming is the most crypto-friendly state — Decrypt
Interesting thread on rising gun violence — Aaron Chalfin
*obviously a self-serving essay but it still hits home with me.
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Raw video of an interview with three boys on scooters in downtown Atlanta, for patrons. “We didn’t even know we were going to come to earth,” said one.
Quick thought: One of my son’s friends from school had a birthday party on Friday night at a sports training center. Lots of room for all the kids and their siblings to run around, a game of kickball, Little Caesar’s pizza, tiny little Powerades and doughnuts for dessert. Nice party! I noticed something. All but two of the children at the party (as far as I could tell) had parents who were unmarried. Where we live, and where my son goes to school, is one of the most “conservative” places in America. It’s Marjorie Taylor Greene’s congressional district. And yet here we have a sample of 5- and 6-year-old boys for whom married parents is exception rather than rule. I compare that to Minneapolis (our block in Standish, our group of friends) and am struck by the contrast. Our experience in one of the most “liberal’ places in America was dominated by two-parent households. That could have something to do with selection bias, I guess, but even at the big birthday party we attended about a year ago in south Minneapolis for a boy who went to daycare with my son, two-parent households dominated. I know I’m not the first to notice this paradox, but it is a bit of a paradox.
Quote
“The nice shiny rings from Sauron were also ‘free.’” — Lulu Cheng Meservey, spokeswoman for Substack, on Facebook’s new free newsletter option, to WaPo
About: I send this email most weekdays in an effort to stay informed and in touch. I was a newspaper reporter for 14 years, most recently at the Minneapolis Star Tribune. I explained why my family left Minneapolis here. Now we live just outside Chattanooga and I work on Scuffed News. Please share this newsletter with anyone you think might enjoy it. And please consider supporting this work with your money on Patreon.