Alon (they/them)
@alonlevy.bsky.social
Transit researcher in Berlin. Lived in Tel Aviv, Singapore, the Riviera, New York, Providence, Vancouver, Stockholm, Paris. https://pedestrianobservations.com/ http://patreon.com/alonlevy [email protected] @[email protected]
Broke: imperialism is when boat
Woke: imperialism is when ocean-going boat
Woke: imperialism is when ocean-going boat
December 3, 2025 at 12:14 AM
Broke: imperialism is when boat
Woke: imperialism is when ocean-going boat
Woke: imperialism is when ocean-going boat
At the EU level, NGOs keep writing shelf art reports scoring rail franchises across the EU.
At the national level where people build (like France), the state just builds high-speed lines. NGO input is limited. (There's more NGO voice in Germany and it's pretty NIMBY with a technical veneer.)
At the national level where people build (like France), the state just builds high-speed lines. NGO input is limited. (There's more NGO voice in Germany and it's pretty NIMBY with a technical veneer.)
Gotta say he's got a point, but I'll go further.
Overreliance on NGOs is a symptom of American civil service dysfunction and the deliberate effort to simultaneously silo off government jobs from all other jobs and to make them significantly more miserable, precarious, highly regimented workplaces.
Overreliance on NGOs is a symptom of American civil service dysfunction and the deliberate effort to simultaneously silo off government jobs from all other jobs and to make them significantly more miserable, precarious, highly regimented workplaces.
I would argue pretty strenuously that overreliance on nonprofits for social services is, in fact, a centrist position at best. NGO world cloaks itself in progressivism by adhering to cultural signifiers of social justice. Endless land acknowledgements as they take public jobs from union workers.
December 2, 2025 at 11:33 PM
At the EU level, NGOs keep writing shelf art reports scoring rail franchises across the EU.
At the national level where people build (like France), the state just builds high-speed lines. NGO input is limited. (There's more NGO voice in Germany and it's pretty NIMBY with a technical veneer.)
At the national level where people build (like France), the state just builds high-speed lines. NGO input is limited. (There's more NGO voice in Germany and it's pretty NIMBY with a technical veneer.)
Reposted by Alon (they/them)
I'll have you know that Argentina is historically a part of Jammu & Kashmir, which of course has always belonged to Serbia.
There are two banks to the Jordan. One is Argentinian, so is the other.
i think it's beautiful how we're somehow multitrack drifting on the question of irredentist claims. we somehow went from the argies to china?
December 2, 2025 at 9:08 PM
I'll have you know that Argentina is historically a part of Jammu & Kashmir, which of course has always belonged to Serbia.
There are two banks to the Jordan. One is Argentinian, so is the other.
i think it's beautiful how we're somehow multitrack drifting on the question of irredentist claims. we somehow went from the argies to china?
December 2, 2025 at 8:56 PM
There are two banks to the Jordan. One is Argentinian, so is the other.
Reposted by Alon (they/them)
Societally, in Israel, this, and in part mental illnesses too, is something you have to "toughen up" and go through in silence. The shortage of access to mental health doesn't help. The situation is much better than in Russia or other places, but still not quite good.
x.com/Elizrael/sta...
x.com/Elizrael/sta...
December 2, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Societally, in Israel, this, and in part mental illnesses too, is something you have to "toughen up" and go through in silence. The shortage of access to mental health doesn't help. The situation is much better than in Russia or other places, but still not quite good.
x.com/Elizrael/sta...
x.com/Elizrael/sta...
Broke: oppose cancel culture (canceling shows by sex pests)
Woke: oppose cancel culture (canceling urban and intercity rail projects)
Woke: oppose cancel culture (canceling urban and intercity rail projects)
December 2, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Broke: oppose cancel culture (canceling shows by sex pests)
Woke: oppose cancel culture (canceling urban and intercity rail projects)
Woke: oppose cancel culture (canceling urban and intercity rail projects)
Reposted by Alon (they/them)
The US keeps showing that they cannot be relied upon in this current moment, and the EU should stop hoping that that will change soon and start becoming the sole reliable military supplier for Ukraine. We should also pressure Switzerland into finally giving military aid.
🇺🇸🇩🇪🇺🇦 The US has suspended some arms deliveries to Ukraine and severed one of the direct contacts with German generals who coordinated aid to Kyiv.
This was stated by Christian Freuding in an interview with The Atlantic.
This was stated by Christian Freuding in an interview with The Atlantic.
December 2, 2025 at 10:37 AM
The US keeps showing that they cannot be relied upon in this current moment, and the EU should stop hoping that that will change soon and start becoming the sole reliable military supplier for Ukraine. We should also pressure Switzerland into finally giving military aid.
Why is The Forward entertaining a pardon for Netanyahu? You do not, ever, pardon corrupt leaders. No agreement you make with them will survive the pardon; no power that they think they have with which to hurt you will survive a conviction. Go destroy. forward.com/opinion/7865...
Netanyahu’s pardon request is a staggering act of hypocrisy — and it should be granted, with one condition
Netanyahu’s bid for a pardon raises fears about accountability, political pressure from Trump, and the future of Israel’s democratic norms.
forward.com
December 2, 2025 at 3:13 AM
Why is The Forward entertaining a pardon for Netanyahu? You do not, ever, pardon corrupt leaders. No agreement you make with them will survive the pardon; no power that they think they have with which to hurt you will survive a conviction. Go destroy. forward.com/opinion/7865...
China has both more ton-km per route-km than the US and more p-km per route-km than any European country - and China achieves this on the same network, whereas the US has rounding-error p-km and we have rounding-error t-km west of Ukraine.
it’s always very odd how people talk about rail in a vacuum without mentioning the interstate highway program. Then they get Professor Zuremski to say something that’s arguably not true (the USA has the best freight railroad network).
Very disappointing episode of @planetmoney.bsky.social's The Indicator this morning - basically USA doesn't have a better passenger rail network because cities are far apart, freight is more profitable, and building rail is expensive. But huge factors left unmentioned...
one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5622...
one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5622...
December 2, 2025 at 3:11 AM
China has both more ton-km per route-km than the US and more p-km per route-km than any European country - and China achieves this on the same network, whereas the US has rounding-error p-km and we have rounding-error t-km west of Ukraine.
Reposted by Alon (they/them)
it’s always very odd how people talk about rail in a vacuum without mentioning the interstate highway program. Then they get Professor Zuremski to say something that’s arguably not true (the USA has the best freight railroad network).
Very disappointing episode of @planetmoney.bsky.social's The Indicator this morning - basically USA doesn't have a better passenger rail network because cities are far apart, freight is more profitable, and building rail is expensive. But huge factors left unmentioned...
one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5622...
one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5622...
🔊 Listen Now: Why the US chose not to have a passenger train system like Europe
The Indicator From Planet Money on NPR One | 9:02
one.npr.org
December 2, 2025 at 2:52 AM
it’s always very odd how people talk about rail in a vacuum without mentioning the interstate highway program. Then they get Professor Zuremski to say something that’s arguably not true (the USA has the best freight railroad network).
The minimum net migration compatible with a steady state in a developed country, let alone growth, is more than 0. Thus, social divisions get worse the lower the net migration rate, because low net migration comes out of an ideology that treats migration as bad leading to an impossible desire for 0.
December 1, 2025 at 12:02 PM
The minimum net migration compatible with a steady state in a developed country, let alone growth, is more than 0. Thus, social divisions get worse the lower the net migration rate, because low net migration comes out of an ideology that treats migration as bad leading to an impossible desire for 0.
🧵
Now that it looks like the online mob managed to chase *another* big trans account off the site for the long haul (Starfish), I'm gonna take a moment to note that the most interesting contrast in marginalized queer group outcomes has been trans ppl vs furries, b/c of respectability politics.
December 1, 2025 at 5:12 AM
🧵
Pedestrian Observations: It's not the Baumol Effect pedestrianobservations.com/2025/11/30/i...
It’s not the Baumol Effect
The Baumol effect is an observation that wages in an economy rise based on its average productivity, and therefore the wages also rise in sectors with low or no productivity growth, increasing thei…
pedestrianobservations.com
December 1, 2025 at 4:59 AM
Pedestrian Observations: It's not the Baumol Effect pedestrianobservations.com/2025/11/30/i...
Dear Americans: if your theory of some higher education problem (like grade inflation) hinges on a general aspect of American society that also exists in Singapore, like high inequality and a middle-class culture that centers degrees, you should check whether it also exists in Singapore. (Hint: no.)
December 1, 2025 at 4:07 AM
Dear Americans: if your theory of some higher education problem (like grade inflation) hinges on a general aspect of American society that also exists in Singapore, like high inequality and a middle-class culture that centers degrees, you should check whether it also exists in Singapore. (Hint: no.)
Reposted by Alon (they/them)
⚠️ ⚖️ 'Only Those Guilty Seek a Pardon': Opposition Slams Netanyahu's Pardon Request, Ministers Push Herzog to Accept
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/... 🧵
By @barpeleg.bsky.social
and Noa Shpigel
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/... 🧵
By @barpeleg.bsky.social
and Noa Shpigel
November 30, 2025 at 4:34 PM
⚠️ ⚖️ 'Only Those Guilty Seek a Pardon': Opposition Slams Netanyahu's Pardon Request, Ministers Push Herzog to Accept
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/... 🧵
By @barpeleg.bsky.social
and Noa Shpigel
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/... 🧵
By @barpeleg.bsky.social
and Noa Shpigel
How much do I swear, @profanity.accountant?
November 30, 2025 at 8:44 AM
How much do I swear, @profanity.accountant?
Fired: minister named Bezalel who only did half-service at the IDF demanding longer wars with more war crimes
Tired: minister named Aryeh who is fine with longer wars with more war crimes as long as his voters aren't drafted
Inspired: lol nobody in that country
Tired: minister named Aryeh who is fine with longer wars with more war crimes as long as his voters aren't drafted
Inspired: lol nobody in that country
November 29, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Fired: minister named Bezalel who only did half-service at the IDF demanding longer wars with more war crimes
Tired: minister named Aryeh who is fine with longer wars with more war crimes as long as his voters aren't drafted
Inspired: lol nobody in that country
Tired: minister named Aryeh who is fine with longer wars with more war crimes as long as his voters aren't drafted
Inspired: lol nobody in that country
Reposted by Alon (they/them)
Cohen said: “The itinerary was looking pretty full, to be fair. I’d have had to hang around the venue until about 11pm, which is usually the time I become a depleted husk of a woman. So this has worked out perfectly.”
Autistic woman left at the altar just glad she’s got the afternoon free now
An autistic woman who has been left at the altar at her wedding is quietly relieved to have the time back, according to witnesses. Talia Cohen, 34, was jilted by her husband-to-be Gavin Monks, 34,…
thedailytism.com
November 29, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Cohen said: “The itinerary was looking pretty full, to be fair. I’d have had to hang around the venue until about 11pm, which is usually the time I become a depleted husk of a woman. So this has worked out perfectly.”
Reposted by Alon (they/them)
Interesting new working paper that studies chains of movers after the construction of a new apartment building in Honolulu.
Paper finds that the project resulted in the opening up other, lower cost, housing on the island, benefiting the housing market overall.
Paper finds that the project resulted in the opening up other, lower cost, housing on the island, benefiting the housing market overall.
uhero.hawaii.edu
November 28, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Interesting new working paper that studies chains of movers after the construction of a new apartment building in Honolulu.
Paper finds that the project resulted in the opening up other, lower cost, housing on the island, benefiting the housing market overall.
Paper finds that the project resulted in the opening up other, lower cost, housing on the island, benefiting the housing market overall.
Desirable features of New Atheism 2.0:
1. Like New Atheism 1.0, rootedness in science. Anti-vaxxers must be a major villain.
2. Serious ties with secular non-Christians - not ex-Muslims, but people who ID as Muslim but are as Muslim as I'm Jewish.
3. Anti-transphobia, anti-sexism, anti-homophobia.
1. Like New Atheism 1.0, rootedness in science. Anti-vaxxers must be a major villain.
2. Serious ties with secular non-Christians - not ex-Muslims, but people who ID as Muslim but are as Muslim as I'm Jewish.
3. Anti-transphobia, anti-sexism, anti-homophobia.
November 29, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Desirable features of New Atheism 2.0:
1. Like New Atheism 1.0, rootedness in science. Anti-vaxxers must be a major villain.
2. Serious ties with secular non-Christians - not ex-Muslims, but people who ID as Muslim but are as Muslim as I'm Jewish.
3. Anti-transphobia, anti-sexism, anti-homophobia.
1. Like New Atheism 1.0, rootedness in science. Anti-vaxxers must be a major villain.
2. Serious ties with secular non-Christians - not ex-Muslims, but people who ID as Muslim but are as Muslim as I'm Jewish.
3. Anti-transphobia, anti-sexism, anti-homophobia.
Reposted by Alon (they/them)
The story of how India overtook China's population is a lot longer and more complicated than it looks. No, I'm not going to tell it in a 50-skeet thread.
/1
/1
November 29, 2025 at 1:17 AM
The story of how India overtook China's population is a lot longer and more complicated than it looks. No, I'm not going to tell it in a 50-skeet thread.
/1
/1
The vibes I'm getting are "if you don't like CENTCOM, you'll hate what replaces CENTCOM."
This is actually a relevant factor here: it's been pretty clear SOUTHCOM, whose commander resigned, has been pushing back, at least somewhat. They're putting it under the operational command of SOCOM specifically because that's the most already rotten place you'll find people happy to do crimes.
Why do you need Seal Team 6 to blow up a fucking boat?
November 29, 2025 at 12:25 AM
The vibes I'm getting are "if you don't like CENTCOM, you'll hate what replaces CENTCOM."
A pretend-continent that enthusiastically fell over itself to collaborate with the Nazis on the Holocaust is now, at elite level, enthusiastic to collaborate with Putin and Trump. Filthy collaborators obsessed with racial purity and lovers of fascists. www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...
Belgian prime minister doubles down on opposition to reparations loan
Hopes to secure a reparations loan for Ukraine have been dashed after the Belgian prime minister blasted the proposal as "fundamentally wrong" and called on the EU to raise fresh debt instead of touch...
www.euronews.com
November 28, 2025 at 1:42 PM
A pretend-continent that enthusiastically fell over itself to collaborate with the Nazis on the Holocaust is now, at elite level, enthusiastic to collaborate with Putin and Trump. Filthy collaborators obsessed with racial purity and lovers of fascists. www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...
Reposted by Alon (they/them)
Noch rechtsextremer und noch gefährlicher: Mit ihrer neuen Parteijungend will die AfD ein Bindeglied zur rechtsextremen Jugendkultur schaffen und diese besser kontrollieren. Es droht ein Sammelbecken für rechtsextreme Kader. Mäßigung? Fehlanzeige. 1/x
AfD-Jugend: Von konformistischer Rebellion und SS-Treueschwur
Die neue Jugendorganisation der AfD soll sich der Parteiführung unterordnen, rechtsextreme Positionen muss sie deswegen nicht aufgeben.
www.belltower.news
November 28, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Noch rechtsextremer und noch gefährlicher: Mit ihrer neuen Parteijungend will die AfD ein Bindeglied zur rechtsextremen Jugendkultur schaffen und diese besser kontrollieren. Es droht ein Sammelbecken für rechtsextreme Kader. Mäßigung? Fehlanzeige. 1/x
It's like the story taught in globalization class about the children who visit the US and say "mom, dad, there's McDonald's in America too!".
(Eataly is an Italian chain. Its HQ and first branch are in Torino.)
(Eataly is an Italian chain. Its HQ and first branch are in Torino.)
This, in Rome’s Termini Station, is an undeniable New York City cultural victory but also feels weird
November 28, 2025 at 9:43 AM
It's like the story taught in globalization class about the children who visit the US and say "mom, dad, there's McDonald's in America too!".
(Eataly is an Italian chain. Its HQ and first branch are in Torino.)
(Eataly is an Italian chain. Its HQ and first branch are in Torino.)