What we’re reading (8/16)
“‘The Devastation Is Widespread.’ Iowans Continue to Struggle Following Deadly Derecho” (NPR). The great state of Iowa (and its second-largest city, Cedar Rapids—the city that birthed the name of this website—in particular) was rocked by Category 2 hurricane-force winds in a rare inland meteorological event known as a derecho last Monday. Many are still out of power and national media coverage in the interim has been exceedingly thin. Here are some ways to help.
“The Arrest Of Jimmy Lai” (Wall Street Journal). Jimmy Lai—the Hong Kongese businessmen and billionaire pro-democracy activist—was arrested six days ago on the heels of the June 30 enactment of the Hong Kong “national security law” by China’s parliament.
“Bill And Melinda Gates-Backed Coronavirus Vaccine Maker Soars In Wall Street Debut” (CNN). Germany’s CureVac more than tripled in its first day of trading, foreshadowing the windfall that awaits owners of covid vaccines that ultimately prove effective. Others in the running: Moderna, Novavax, BioNTech, and Pfizer.
“The Showmanship” (Gizmodo). It’s worth appreciating the finer aesthetic points of how Epic Games went about serving its antitrust suit on Apple. “Epic Games set Apple up to piss off millions of Fortnite players and then immediately directed all that wrath at Apple, and tacked on a #FreeFortnite hashtag too. And just in case you weren’t sure what Epic’s plan was, the company timed the video with the drop of a lawsuit filed against Apple, and then released an FAQ that continued to lay the blame at Apple’s feet…I cannot recall any company—especially one the size of Epic Games—setting up a lawsuit so perfectly.”
“‘All These Rich People Can’t Stop Themselves’: The Luxe Quarantine Lives Of Silicon Valley’s Elite” (Vanity Fair). “[Uber founder] Travis Kalanick is throwing (outdoor) parties, private-jet owners are hopping from safe zone to safe zone, and dinner party hosts are administering 15-minute COVID-19 rapid tests—all business as usual. ‘Coronavirus is a poor person’s virus,’ says one source.” Yikes.
