Morning Belz, March 9
Chauvin trial begins.
New video about gentrification in southwest Atlanta is now up on YouTube.
I think it’s our best blend of clicky, substantive and surprising. I’m biased, of course. And even though it would not be accurate to call Scuffed News a “success” up to now, I’m pleased with the breadth of person we’ve interviewed.
Jury selection in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the police officer under whose knee George Floyd died last May, was postponed from yesterday to today. Here’s the first video I made under the Scuffed News banner, a series of raw interviews with Black entrepreneurs at the Black State Fair in late summer. Folks spoke plainly about race in America, policing, riots and — toward the end (starting at the 4:30 mark) — what the implications of a Chauvin acquittal might be. Some of the quotes are striking.
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A couple of random recommendations:
1. Emily Oster. She wrote a book on pregnancy that my wife and I read before our first child and which shaped our views in what I think was a healthy way. She isn’t a brilliant English stylist but her stuff is substantive and thoughtful and meticulous. Her Substack is worth checking out. The latest post is a detailed look at the three vaccine types and how they differ.
2. Chilly Gonzales. I’d been in a musical drought (couldn’t find anything new to listen to, resorting to Brahms more than is probably ideal for a true Millennial) for several weeks when I stumbled back across Gonzales before Christmas. My brother had recommended him years ago. Gonzales is a pianist from Canada who lives in Europe. His solo piano albums and chambers music are an odd, wonderful departure from most music. Not quite classical, not quite pop. Here’s his Spotify page. Here’s his YouTube page.
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Somewhat quotidian details on journalist trial in Iowa — AP
Harry & Meghan won the battle of public opinion* — Spectator
Friend of Navalny excoriates Amnesty for abandoning him — Persuasion
Andrew Sullivan on the move to kill the SAT — Weekly Dish
*I haven’t followed this thing, just thought this piece (whether right or wrong on the fundamentals) was well-written.
Quotes
“We wanted flying cars and all we got was satellite internet blanketing the world, supersonic jets, 2-day vaccine development, a budding genomics revolution, a $1T self organizing internet native currency, and AI advancing at insane rate, doubling compute demand every few months.” - Patrick O’Shaughnessy
About: 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, a project that either succeeds by July or will have to be abandoned. This is my newsletter. Please share it with anyone you think might enjoy it. I also periodically add people to the distribution list myself. You can support all of this work with your money on Patreon.