Silicon Valley Bank, letters and Lauryn Hill
From a purely economic perspective, I don’t know what to think about Joe Biden’s decision to bail out depositors of Silicon Valley Bank. Many of the analysts calling for the action were opposed to student-debt relief and other measures to help regular people, which doesn’t predispose me to like it.
But I suspect the bailout saved a lot of cellular-agriculture and plant-based startups from going under, and animal rights is my political priority. I wish these companies were publicly owned, but that’s not the world we live in yet.
Anyway, it was a bad week for letters. I haven’t spotted my last one anywhere. I localized my submissions, but still nothing. After a couple of years of doing this, I think editors have seen all my tricks. Some regulatory or scientific announcements would help make my letters feel more newsworthy, but it’s been a minute since we’ve had that.
Hopefully, my next one will have more luck. I’ll probably make the animal-welfare case for increased funding for cultivated-meat research. If you’d like to write your own letters, give this a read:
It’s time for (Cell) Culture Talk. Here are some of the things I’ve been listening to and watching lately.
Music — MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 by Lauryn Hill. Way back when, I wrote an article saying this was one of my ten favorite CDs of the 2000s. I don’t have as strong opinions about music as I used to, but this remains an excellent album. It’s raw and often sad, but excellent. “I Gotta Find Peace of Mind” is the highlight for me.
Music — 20 Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys. This was one of the first CDs I owned. I still love their upbeat songs about surfing, fast cars and young love. It’s a shame Mike Love’s version of the band held a fundraiser for Donald Trump. My understanding, though, is Brian Wilson and Al Jardine disavowed the event.
Sports — Knicks lose to Clippers, 106-95. The replay I found for this game was so pixelated I might as well have been listening to the radio broadcast. What is clear, though, is New York misses Jalen Brunson. If he’s out or competes injured in the playoffs, it would really lower the Knicks’ ceiling. Julius Randle struggled.
Sports — Knicks beat Lakers, 112-108. Randle and RJ Barrett both had good bounce-back performances, with 33 and 30 points respectively. Commentator Jeff Van Gundy was saying New York could slide into the play-in if Brunson continues to miss time, which was alarming. Hopefully the team can rally in his absence.
Sports — Knicks beat Trail Blazers, 123-107. New York didn’t really show up until the second half. Deuce McBride had a nice game. He would be a strong piece if he could be more consistent on the offensive side of the floor. The trouble is he’s out of the rotation when everyone is healthy.