Here are five things that caught my attention!
Oil pricing: I miss Jon Stewart and what was an always reliably funny and informative Daily Show. Trevor Noah is talented, but I just don’t catch it as often. However, his segment this week on gas prices was solid. Check out around minute 3 for the absurdity of the price of crude immediately raising the price of gasoline at the pump (given it was bought at lower price, then refined, then shipped to gas station). And if you want a great primer on oil pricing along with clear explanations of sweet vs. sour, heavy vs light and why we import any really low quality Russian oil, I highly recommend this piece from the Atlantic.
Joe Reilly: This week we adjourned our board meeting in honor of my friend, and American hero, Joe Reilly. He was a proud member of the “Greatest Generation,” who jumped into Normandy and fought in The Battle of the Bulge for which he earned a Bronze Star. Joe was a proud union retiree of the International Association of Machinist, and never stopped being a fierce advocate for workers and the nation he believed we should be. Rest In Peace Joe!
Hosting Ukrainians: After attending a pro-Ukraine rally at Balboa Park last month, a San Diego teen and college friend developed a website that matches Ukrainian refugees with hosts in other countries. The site is translated into 12 languages and acts like an AirBnB for Ukrainian refugees to get connected with spare rooms, unused apartments, school dormitories, or even just a couch to sleep on. Check out the site here.
Daylight Savings: Spring forward, fall back -- all of that might be a thing of the past soon. In case you missed it, the U.S. Senate voted, by unanimous consent, to make daylight savings time permanent starting November of 2023. So at least in the Senate there’s one thing that Democrats and Republicans can agree on --everyone hates time change! If this news caught you by surprise, don’t worry, even the House of Representatives was caught off guard. I think it probably makes more sense to go to standard time year round, but at this point I don’t care—just pick one and stick with it!
Public comment: I thought I had seen it all with public comment at our Board of Supervisors meetings (yes,Stephen Colbert did an entire piece on our board meetings), but this one from Plano, Texas made me laugh. If you have three minutes of your life to cringe, check it out! If you have 14 hours to cry, then join our board meetings:)
