Brad Weed
@bradweed.bsky.social
I write about the interaction of people and place and advocate for improvements at interplace.io.
Spain is set to be the world’s fastest-growing large advanced economy for the second year running in 2025. Thanks to a combination of immigration, tourism, low energy costs and EU funds, the IMF is forecasting GDP expansion of 2.9 per cent for the country this year. via @dailychartbook.bsky.social
January 6, 2026 at 6:46 PM
Spain is set to be the world’s fastest-growing large advanced economy for the second year running in 2025. Thanks to a combination of immigration, tourism, low energy costs and EU funds, the IMF is forecasting GDP expansion of 2.9 per cent for the country this year. via @dailychartbook.bsky.social
"Every second, we kill nearly 2,500 chickens. That’s 150,000 a minute, or nearly 9 million an hour. If New York City was populated by chickens, we would kill its entire population every hour, and then repeat it 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year." via @dailychartbook.bsky.social
January 5, 2026 at 6:10 PM
"Every second, we kill nearly 2,500 chickens. That’s 150,000 a minute, or nearly 9 million an hour. If New York City was populated by chickens, we would kill its entire population every hour, and then repeat it 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year." via @dailychartbook.bsky.social
No wonder
“[] Michigan’s consumer sentiment index shows that people with investment portfolios feel significantly better about the economy than those who do not own stocks, with sentiment among non-stockholders sinking to its lowest point since [] 1998.”
Via @dailychartbook.bsky.social
“[] Michigan’s consumer sentiment index shows that people with investment portfolios feel significantly better about the economy than those who do not own stocks, with sentiment among non-stockholders sinking to its lowest point since [] 1998.”
Via @dailychartbook.bsky.social
December 31, 2025 at 4:39 PM
No wonder
“[] Michigan’s consumer sentiment index shows that people with investment portfolios feel significantly better about the economy than those who do not own stocks, with sentiment among non-stockholders sinking to its lowest point since [] 1998.”
Via @dailychartbook.bsky.social
“[] Michigan’s consumer sentiment index shows that people with investment portfolios feel significantly better about the economy than those who do not own stocks, with sentiment among non-stockholders sinking to its lowest point since [] 1998.”
Via @dailychartbook.bsky.social
I feel sick seeing celebratory economic growth coming from consumer spending on healthcare. I guess I should buy some drugs.
December 24, 2025 at 3:54 PM
I feel sick seeing celebratory economic growth coming from consumer spending on healthcare. I guess I should buy some drugs.
Trump froze Biden’s investments in batteries. Now the military is complaining they need batteries for drones and AI needs them for data centers. Thus he’s “quietly allowed many Biden-era grants for battery makers to proceed [and] announced up to $500M for battery materials and recycling projects.”
December 24, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Trump froze Biden’s investments in batteries. Now the military is complaining they need batteries for drones and AI needs them for data centers. Thus he’s “quietly allowed many Biden-era grants for battery makers to proceed [and] announced up to $500M for battery materials and recycling projects.”
The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Survey has been measuring consumer attitudes toward personal finances, business conditions, and buying conditions about as long as I've been alive. It's hit an all time low.
December 22, 2025 at 11:29 PM
The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Survey has been measuring consumer attitudes toward personal finances, business conditions, and buying conditions about as long as I've been alive. It's hit an all time low.
Reposted by Brad Weed
An atmospheric river is currently slamming California with flooding rains and heavy snow.
Heavy precipitation will continue throughout the week.
Heavy precipitation will continue throughout the week.
December 22, 2025 at 4:50 PM
An atmospheric river is currently slamming California with flooding rains and heavy snow.
Heavy precipitation will continue throughout the week.
Heavy precipitation will continue throughout the week.
Reposted by Brad Weed
1/Blockbuster @nytimes.com investigation. Tithing to Trump pays off in contracts, pardons, and access. This is not petty corruption but the construction of an alternative regime.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Hundreds of Big Post-Election Donors Have Benefited From Trump’s Return to Office (Gift Article)
Well into his second term, the president and his allies have continued aggressively raising money. Many donors have interests before his administration, The Times found.
www.nytimes.com
December 22, 2025 at 5:08 PM
1/Blockbuster @nytimes.com investigation. Tithing to Trump pays off in contracts, pardons, and access. This is not petty corruption but the construction of an alternative regime.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
“Culturally we’re in the phase of permanent revolution.” (1989)
This likely means less that "everything’s changing fast” and more “nothing ever settles.” Meaning keeps getting remade and redefined through media, markets, and politics by rebuilding hegemony daily.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2EF...
This likely means less that "everything’s changing fast” and more “nothing ever settles.” Meaning keeps getting remade and redefined through media, markets, and politics by rebuilding hegemony daily.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2EF...
1989: The CULTURAL Implications of GLOBALISATION | The Late Show | Classic Interviews | BBC Archive
YouTube video by BBC Archive
www.youtube.com
December 21, 2025 at 1:22 AM
“Culturally we’re in the phase of permanent revolution.” (1989)
This likely means less that "everything’s changing fast” and more “nothing ever settles.” Meaning keeps getting remade and redefined through media, markets, and politics by rebuilding hegemony daily.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2EF...
This likely means less that "everything’s changing fast” and more “nothing ever settles.” Meaning keeps getting remade and redefined through media, markets, and politics by rebuilding hegemony daily.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2EF...
Reposted by Brad Weed
I wrote about a conference marking the culmination of tens of millions of dollars of philanthropic spending to transcend neoliberalism. lpeproject.org/blog/post-ne...
December 19, 2025 at 11:58 AM
I wrote about a conference marking the culmination of tens of millions of dollars of philanthropic spending to transcend neoliberalism. lpeproject.org/blog/post-ne...
Such an informative and substantive thread…as usual 👏🙏
Question: When the head of the DOJ’s Civil Rights division tweets out a false statement about an individual that results in them being barraged with death threats based on their religion and ethnicity, which governmental agency would look into whether that student’s Civil Rights had been infringed?
December 20, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Such an informative and substantive thread…as usual 👏🙏
“Whiteness is a historically contingent, shifting political category, not a biological category.” 🙂↕️
I’m reminded of Matthew Frye Jacobson’s Whiteness of a Different Color from 1998. My first white guy eye opener…and American mutt demystifier.
I’m reminded of Matthew Frye Jacobson’s Whiteness of a Different Color from 1998. My first white guy eye opener…and American mutt demystifier.
Whiteness is a historically contingent, shifting political category, not a biological category. Dhillon can plausibly think of herself as “white” in today’s GOP, but as Ben Shapiro & Vivek R have learned recently, that whiteness is provisional and at risk of being revoked. bsky.app/profile/seth...
Walter Huss was simultaneously a white Christian nationalist who devoted his life to creating an America purged of non-white people and non-Christians, AND someone who partnered with conservative Black leaders in Portland in order to create the impression that he was not a racist.
December 20, 2025 at 8:05 PM
“Whiteness is a historically contingent, shifting political category, not a biological category.” 🙂↕️
I’m reminded of Matthew Frye Jacobson’s Whiteness of a Different Color from 1998. My first white guy eye opener…and American mutt demystifier.
I’m reminded of Matthew Frye Jacobson’s Whiteness of a Different Color from 1998. My first white guy eye opener…and American mutt demystifier.
If the U.S. really wants high-speed rail, it needs more than trainsets. It needs new rules for land, value, and movement. Spain offers clues. @geographers.bsky.social @americangeo.bsky.social #GeoSky
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
Trains, Planes, and Paved-Over Promises
Why Spain gets smooth speed and America stays stuck
interplace.io
December 20, 2025 at 5:07 PM
If the U.S. really wants high-speed rail, it needs more than trainsets. It needs new rules for land, value, and movement. Spain offers clues. @geographers.bsky.social @americangeo.bsky.social #GeoSky
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
Fast trains, slow change: Spain shows that better infrastructure alone will not save us from car dependence. But it can reshape the odds. @geographers.bsky.social @americangeo.bsky.social #GeoSky
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
Trains, Planes, and Paved-Over Promises
Why Spain gets smooth speed and America stays stuck
interplace.io
December 20, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Fast trains, slow change: Spain shows that better infrastructure alone will not save us from car dependence. But it can reshape the odds. @geographers.bsky.social @americangeo.bsky.social #GeoSky
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
“…cooperation fosters diversity…”
Cooperation is a universal feature of complex systems, from the origins of life and microbiomes to societies. What universal patterns can be found in these systems? Here's our new @pnas.org paper. @jordipinero.bsky.social @artemyte.bsky.social @sfiscience.bsky.social www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10....
December 19, 2025 at 11:50 PM
“…cooperation fosters diversity…”
Chicago’s vanished interurbans and Spain’s HSR belong to the same family tree. One led to highways, the other to rail revival. Here’s why that matters. @geographers.bsky.social @americangeo.bsky.social #GeoSky
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
Trains, Planes, and Paved-Over Promises
Why Spain gets smooth speed and America stays stuck
interplace.io
December 19, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Chicago’s vanished interurbans and Spain’s HSR belong to the same family tree. One led to highways, the other to rail revival. Here’s why that matters. @geographers.bsky.social @americangeo.bsky.social #GeoSky
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
Spain’s HSR glides; U.S. Amtrak crawls. But the real story is how each country tied transport to land, finance, and power. @geographers.bsky.social @americangeo.bsky.social #GeoSky
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
Trains, Planes, and Paved-Over Promises
Why Spain gets smooth speed and America stays stuck
interplace.io
December 19, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Spain’s HSR glides; U.S. Amtrak crawls. But the real story is how each country tied transport to land, finance, and power. @geographers.bsky.social @americangeo.bsky.social #GeoSky
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
“Why can’t we have nice things?” is the wrong question. This essay asks what kind of growth HSR actually locks in—and who benefits. @geographers.bsky.social @americangeo.bsky.social #GeoSky
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
Trains, Planes, and Paved-Over Promises
Why Spain gets smooth speed and America stays stuck
interplace.io
December 18, 2025 at 5:07 PM
“Why can’t we have nice things?” is the wrong question. This essay asks what kind of growth HSR actually locks in—and who benefits. @geographers.bsky.social @americangeo.bsky.social #GeoSky
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
From interurbans to interstates, America rebuilt its geography around cars. Spain doubled down on trains. The results are not as simple as they look. @geographers.bsky.social @americangeo.bsky.social #GeoSky
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
Trains, Planes, and Paved-Over Promises
Why Spain gets smooth speed and America stays stuck
interplace.io
December 18, 2025 at 12:15 AM
From interurbans to interstates, America rebuilt its geography around cars. Spain doubled down on trains. The results are not as simple as they look. @geographers.bsky.social @americangeo.bsky.social #GeoSky
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
High-speed rail does not kill the car; it reorganizes growth. Spain shows both the promise and the paradox. The U.S. should pay attention. @geographers.bsky.social @americangeo.bsky.social #GeoSky
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
Trains, Planes, and Paved-Over Promises
Why Spain gets smooth speed and America stays stuck
interplace.io
December 17, 2025 at 5:07 PM
High-speed rail does not kill the car; it reorganizes growth. Spain shows both the promise and the paradox. The U.S. should pay attention. @geographers.bsky.social @americangeo.bsky.social #GeoSky
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
Madrid–Barcelona in 2.5 hours; Chicago–St. Louis in nearly 5. Same distance, different choices. How did we get here, and can we change course? @geographers.bsky.social @americangeo.bsky.social #GeoSky
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
Trains, Planes, and Paved-Over Promises
Why Spain gets smooth speed and America stays stuck
interplace.io
December 17, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Madrid–Barcelona in 2.5 hours; Chicago–St. Louis in nearly 5. Same distance, different choices. How did we get here, and can we change course? @geographers.bsky.social @americangeo.bsky.social #GeoSky
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
The U.S. once had “nice things”: dense rail, walkable suburbs, fast interurbans. Spain’s HSR shows what we gained and what we lost. @geographers.bsky.social @americangeo.bsky.social #GeoSky
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
Trains, Planes, and Paved-Over Promises
Why Spain gets smooth speed and America stays stuck
interplace.io
December 16, 2025 at 5:07 PM
The U.S. once had “nice things”: dense rail, walkable suburbs, fast interurbans. Spain’s HSR shows what we gained and what we lost. @geographers.bsky.social @americangeo.bsky.social #GeoSky
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
Spain’s high-speed trains feel like the future. But they also sit on top of rising car use and familiar sprawl. What does that mean for U.S. rail dreams? @geographers.bsky.social @americangeo.bsky.social #GeoSky
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
Trains, Planes, and Paved-Over Promises
Why Spain gets smooth speed and America stays stuck
interplace.io
December 16, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Spain’s high-speed trains feel like the future. But they also sit on top of rising car use and familiar sprawl. What does that mean for U.S. rail dreams? @geographers.bsky.social @americangeo.bsky.social #GeoSky
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
interplace.io/p/trains-pla...
“…it is an international system structured by a small group of hyper-elites who use modern economic and military interdependencies to extract material and status resources for themselves.” This paper from @abenewman.bsky.social spells out the current “ordering” (a term @adamtooze.bsky.social uses).
December 15, 2025 at 10:22 PM
“…it is an international system structured by a small group of hyper-elites who use modern economic and military interdependencies to extract material and status resources for themselves.” This paper from @abenewman.bsky.social spells out the current “ordering” (a term @adamtooze.bsky.social uses).
“The fed funds almost all spending on older adults, whereas state and local governments fund about 3/5 of spending on children. Because states have more discretion on how to allocate spending, investment on children can vary, potentially contributing to differences in child outcomes by state.”
Federal spending on #children is down—nearly back to prepandemic levels. Urban’s two latest Kids’ Share analyses contextualize federal spending and compare it with state and local spending levels + offer key #policy insights. Read more. https://urbn.is/49dbPws
December 15, 2025 at 5:54 PM
“The fed funds almost all spending on older adults, whereas state and local governments fund about 3/5 of spending on children. Because states have more discretion on how to allocate spending, investment on children can vary, potentially contributing to differences in child outcomes by state.”