Friday Links - 17 April

We start with Chicago Contrarian, and a critique of the Chicago political mess. How to Address Chicago’s Affordable Housing Needs

Mayor Johnson’s affordable housing plan is an expensive mirage that will do nothing to address the city’s housing crisis. A strategy that unleashes the housing market and caps housing costs is what’s needed

Wombat-socho - FMJRA 2.0: Grinding Forward

Another good week to be a Senators fan!

William Teach at Pirate's Cove - Today’s Yutes Still See Massive College Loan Debt As Pathway To “Purpose”

A college degree is worth what the degree is in, and, too many of the yutes are not looking for hard sciences, hard disciplines. It’s mostly squishy stuff, degrees ending in “Studies” and such. How many are getting degrees in installing solar panels, building hydo-electric dams, making wind turbines? Sciences in order to create actual cleaner energy sources?

The Silicon Graybeard - Three years from now...

So here's just an interesting look at April 13, 2029 - three years from now, but a Friday not a Monday, that we will get the closest known flyby of an asteroid in history, and of the biggest body to ever approach Earth.

The Other McCain - NY Times Keeps Lying About Everything, Including the Basic Facts of Life

The Upshot is a section of the New York Times that advertises itself as providing “analytical journalism in words and graphics,” which is to say, this is the part where they try to add the aura of statistical certainty to their dishonest propaganda: “See? Here’s a chart — numbers don’t lie!”

Sarah Anderson at PJ Media - When 'If We Need to Die, We'll Die' Doesn't Quite Mean What He Says It Does

That's what Cuban "president" Miguel Díaz-Canel said on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday. He was talking about the fact that Cubans would defend their homeland should the United States invade militarily. (More on that interview in a moment.)

"What does he mean by 'we'?" has been the response of most of the Cuban people.

Bayou Renaissance Man - Points to ponder about small handguns

First, as a general rule small handguns are harder to shoot well than larger handguns. There are several reasons:

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 14 April 2026: Greasy Spork Edition

Sam Altman's home has been targeted by violent idiots for the second time in a week. (SF Standard)

That's not it, guys

Again from The Other McCain - Crazy People Are Dangerous

Say hello to Noemi Guzman and, while you’re at it, go ahead and say good-bye, because Omaha Police on Tuesday saved Nebraska taxpayers the cost of incarcerating Guzman forever:

And again from The Other McCain - Thanks to All the Tip-Jar Hitters!

That is a 200-gram firework “cake,” a multi-shot repeater that shoots 20 aerial bursts in about 24 seconds. We just ordered a case of 18 of those — $154.90 wholesale, but with the 25% Early Bird discount, we paid just $116.18 to add 360 shots into our Fourth of July finale.

Again from William Teach - LA Mayor Karen “Failure” Bass Has New Climate (scam) Plan Or Something

Does it involve failing to have the firefighting infrastructure in place, letting it burn, and screwing with homeowners, making it hard to rebuild, and then trying to get them to sell so they can build “affordable” housing, making sure NGOs, friends, and donors get a cut?