Merry Christmas!: We escaped to the mountains and have been blessed with fresh snow and our family together and healthy. You know what happens when a working class white guy marries a Mexican? You open gifts on Christmas Eve while eating tamales, enchiladas, ceviche and pozole while watching…wait for it…the greatest Christmas movie ever…Die Hard. IT IS A CHRISTMAS MOVIE:). However you and your family celebrate – please enjoy and find reasons for joy and peace!
Airport to the trolley: For decades, leaders have talked about taking the trolley to the airport. Enough talk–it is time to move forward. As Chair of the Metropolitan Transit System, I brought an item before our board (which passed unanimously) to move forward on creating a project and seeking funding to fulfill something that makes all the sense in the world. We can create a lot of great jobs and the fastest rail connection in the country between an airport and a convention center.
Santa Magic: After months of hand-wringing about supply chain bottlenecks and supply shortages, it turns out that most of our holiday gifts will arrive without any major delays because consumers started shopping earlier and shifted more of their buying to in-store. Retailers also stocked up early and delivery companies were ready for the shipping volume -- UPS, FedEx, and USPS all reported 97 to 99 percent on-time deliveries. That doesn’t mean there aren’t shortages and supply chain issues persist, but goods that were in-stock and on Santa’s list made it under the tree this year. Parents everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief.
Probabilities: If you’re a football fan, you’ve been nervously looking at the upcoming NFL schedule trying to figure out your team's path to the playoffs. It is horribly complex–who needs to win, who to lose, what role do tiebreakers play. Thanks to the New York Times there is an incredible tool to easily run scenarios. Even if you aren’t a football fan, you have to appreciate the advance in normalizing probabilities, algorithms, and interactive websites.Yes, the Raiders still have a chance (that will end this weekend).
Most random thing you probably never cared to know: It started snowing last night and shows no signs of letting up, but we had to endure the transition yesterday from rain to snow. Watching the temperature drop into the evening, it was a reminder that it does not have to be below zero (or 32 degrees fahrenheit) to snow–it can be as warm as 50 degrees and still snow! This piece walks through the science behind how snow forms, falls, and unique conditions that create something that is so incredible.