What’s this? Pittsburgh mayor Ed Gainey actually does something?

Fig. 1. Post-collapse scene at the Fern Hollow Bridge, photograph by National Transportation Safety Board, January 29, 2022, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

So, a month ago, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noticed that Pittsburgh mayor Ed Gainey had yet to appoint anyone to a committee formed in the wake of the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse to assess infrastructure needs. It had been over a year. Now, all of a sudden, Gainey has nominated 12, count ’em, 12 people to the committee.^[1] I’m still disgusted.

Hallie Lauer, “Mayor Ed Gainey made his first picks for an infrastructure group that was empty for more than a year,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 17, 2023, https://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-local/2023/07/17/mayor-ed-gainey-pittsburgh-infrastructure-nominations/stories/202307170071

Gilead

Abortion, reproductive freedom and health

Fig. 2. Sign at demonstration in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, May 3, 2022. Janni Rye, via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

Shania Shelton, “Iowa governor signs 6-week abortion ban into law,” CNN, July 14, 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/14/politics/iowa-abortion-ban-reynolds-sign/index.html

Mary Clare Jalonick and Lolita C. Baldor, “Why a single senator is blocking US military promotions and what it means for the Pentagon,” Associated Press, July 15, 2023, https://apnews.com/article/tuberville-military-holds-senate-officers-45c4230a8aee5222bf32b43823e29acc

Donald Trump

Coup attempt

Fig. 3. “Jake Angeli (Qanon Shaman), seen holding a Qanon sign at the intersection of Bell Rd and 75th Ave in Peoria, Arizona, on 2020 October 15.” Photography by TheUnseen011101 [pseud.], October 15, 2020, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

A judge called [Jacob Angeli Chansley’s] apology “the most remarkable I’ve heard in 34 years” and sentenced him to 41 months in prison – considerably less than the maximum allowed.

Now more than a year-and-a-half later, Angeli is out of jail early, and his remorse is gone.^[2]

Devlin Barrett, “Trump’s outbursts met with silence so far by prosecutor, judge,” Washington Post, July 16, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/07/16/trump-attacks-special-counsel-cannon-smith/

Mike Wendling, “The ‘QAnon Shaman’ and other Capitol rioters who regret pleading guilty,” British Broadcasting Corporation, July 16, 2023, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66169914

Holly Bailey, “Georgia Supreme Court rejects Trump petition to block election probe,” Washington Post, July 17, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/07/17/trump-georgia-fani-willis/

Bess Levin, “Chris Christie Suggests Jared Kushner May Not Have Been Entirely Truthful When Testifying About Trump’s Failed Election Coup,” Vanity Fair, July 17, 2023, https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/07/chris-christie-jared-kushner-donald-trump-grand-jury-testimony

Perry Stein and Mark Berman, “Judge seems skeptical of Trump desire to delay documents trial until after 2024 election,” Washington Post, July 18, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/07/18/florida-trump-documents-cannon-hearing/

Perry Stein, Josh Dawsey, and Jacqueline Alemany, “Trump says he received a target letter in federal Jan. 6 investigation,” Washington Post, July 18, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/07/18/trump-jan6-target-letter/

Prem Thakker, “‘Little Bitch’: Republicans Melt Down as Trump Faces Third Indictment,” New Republic, July 18, 2023, https://newrepublic.com/post/174406/little-bitch-republicans-melt-trump-faces-third-indictment

Neoliberalism

Work

Fig. 4. The spectre of Death, in the form of a large skeleton, rises with the smoke and flames of the burning Asch Building during the Triangle fire, as people jump and fall to their death. Artist unknown, from International Ladies Garment Workers Union Photographs (1885-1985) at The Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

Beth Pinsker, “150 million jobs will shift to older workers by 2031,” MarketWatch, July 17, 2023, https://www.marketwatch.com/story/150-million-jobs-will-shift-to-older-workers-by-2031-aa025ec4

Academic repression

Student loans

Fig. 5. Unattributed and undated image via James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal,^[3] fair use.

Ryan Cooper, “President Biden’s Most Powerful Student Loan Tool,” American Prospect, July 17, 2023, https://prospect.org/education/2023-07-17-bidens-most-powerful-student-loan-tool/

Banking

Commercial real estate

Fig. 6. “The iconic Crescent stands as recognizable landmark in the upscale neighborhood of Uptown, Dallas.” Photograph by Dallasedits [pseud.], July 5, 2016, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Andrew Rice’s article is a long, long read. It’s a hell of a job, though, and it illustrates why I’m treating commercial real estate problems under banking. Because, no, I couldn’t care less—okay, actually, I might like it—if a few commercial landlords find themselves on median strips with signs that say “Anything Helps!” And yes, I have a grudge.^[4]

But, for instance, it’s not like I bear San Francisco ill will,^[5] even if the entire San Francisco Bay Area is well on the way to being taken over by arrogant technology workers. I’d like for The City’s budget to continue to make some sense, so essential services can continue. A possible (I think beyond ‘potential’) “doom loop” threatens that, among a number of other horribles.^[6] It’s absolutely not an outcome I desire for a city that will, in a sense, always be my home.

Andrew Rice, “New Glut City,” Curbed, July 17, 2023, https://www.curbed.com/article/nyc-office-real-estate-rechler-rxr-project-kodak.html

Nicolas Camut and Veronika Melkozerova, “Blasts reported on key bridge linking occupied Crimea to Russia,” Politico, July 17, 2023, https://www.politico.eu/article/kerch-bridge-blast-reported-link-occupied-crimea-russia-war-ukraine/

Fredrick Kunkle, David L. Stern, and Mary Ilyushina, “Ukraine hits Crimean Bridge, but railway undamaged; Russia halts grain deal,” Washington Post, July 17, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/17/kerch-bridge-crimea-grain-ukraine-russia/

Shaun Walker and Emma Graham-Harrison, “Two dead after explosions on Kerch Bridge linking Crimea and Russia,” Guardian, July 17, 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/17/explosions-reportedly-hit-crimeas-kerch-bridge-as-russia-cites-emergency-situation

^[1]Hallie Lauer, “Mayor Ed Gainey made his first picks for an infrastructure group that was empty for more than a year,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 17, 2023, https://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-local/2023/07/17/mayor-ed-gainey-pittsburgh-infrastructure-nominations/stories/202307170071 ↩
^[2]Mike Wendling, “The ‘QAnon Shaman’ and other Capitol rioters who regret pleading guilty,” British Broadcasting Corporation, July 16, 2023, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66169914 ↩
^[3]Richard K. Vedder, “Eliminate or Radically Restructure Federal Student Loans,” James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, September 16, 2020, https://www.jamesgmartin.center/2020/09/eliminate-or-radically-restructure-federal-student-loans/↩
^[4]David Benfell, “When nothing happened next,” Not Housebroken, March 29, 2020, https://disunitedstates.org/2020/03/29/when-nothing-happened-next/↩
^[5]San Francisco is where I grew up. I lived in and around San Francisco (Reno, Nevada, and Selma, California, were as far out as I got) for over 50 years.↩
^[6]Roland Li and Noah Arroyo, “Cities are struggling. San Francisco could be in for the biggest ‘doom loop’ of all,” San Francisco Chronicle, March 30, 2023, https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/city-economy-doom-loop-17846412.php ↩
^[7]Reuters, “Ukraine puts destroyed Russian tanks on display in Kyiv,” August 25, 2022, https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/ukraine-puts-destroyed-russian-tanks-on-idUSRTSALV9Q ↩

Irregular Bullshit

What’s this? Pittsburgh mayor Ed Gainey actually does something?

Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh

Infrastructure