Jim Secreto

Former White House/Commerce/Treasury official & Senate staffer. Aspiring garden influencer.

[Geoff Shullenberger @g_shullenberger]

What makes the Covidian lesbian bar story so appealing is its quintessentially American and specifically New England character: a remote sect of true believers trying to preserve the old faith, but consumed by vicious factional conflicts over how to live up to its strictures…

[Max Tani @maxwelltani]

Per a note to Boston Globe staff today, the lesbian bar story generated 1,000 subscriptions to the paper yesterday. The Globe’s managing editor said it was “by far our best performing story of the year,” and appears to be “on pace to shatter all sorts of Globe records.”

[Jim Secreto @JimSecreto]

@prchovanec I followed you for a long time and do very much miss your commentary, which was incisive

[Stuart Rothenberg @StuPolitics]

Given the public polls and the partisan wave’s dynamic, it would be surprising if the Senate doesn’t flip.

[RE-OPEN THE SIZZLERS @SaladBarFan]

You’re blackpilling? Over in Manhattan they’re inventing Sizzler from first principles and you’re blackpilling?

[Jim Secreto @JimSecreto]

@petereharrell Having grown up “north” of Canada in Detroit, I worry folks underestimate how many Michiganders have ties to our friends across the border. The chaos in our trade policy is personal.

[Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias]

My quest to convince the men of Effective Altruism to learn how to wear a necktie when appropriate continues to fail.

[Sorian @sorianmare]

You do not have a good feel for what Chinese production will do to the global economy until you are in the market for a smart vacuum.

[Jim Secreto @JimSecreto]

@jameswallner You don’t explain that a concurrent resolution to adjourn is subject to a filibuster and requires 60 votes to advance. That’s why it hasn’t been done in 10+ years.

[Jim Secreto @JimSecreto]

@AndrewDesiderio Majority must have full attendance and scheduling VP for votes is a nightmare!

It means very few noms can actually get through unless you’re willing to spend the floor time.

[Jim Secreto @JimSecreto]

@AndrewDesiderio I ran confirmations in the Biden White House during the last 50-50 Senate.

@AndrewDesiderio is right that motions to discharge are a huge headache when trying to move noms without bipartisan support.

[Jeff Stein @jstein_sun]

New: ~44% of Treasury officials *chosen by Trump & confirmed by the Senate* have already left

Remarkable turnover far eclipses any recent Treasury Dept

Appears driven by unease over WH orders on tax law

Leaves gaps at key time for US economy

https://t.co/lG9Eowp8TL

[VB Knives @Empty_America]

In our "post civilization" labor rates are very high, and there doesn't appear to be a traditional "servant class" anymore.

Many of the little niceties of civilization largely cease under these conditions, such as tailored clothes, cheap street food, ornate building decoration.

[David Shor @davidshor]

Both London and Chicago:

Urbanized area population of ~9 million people, which makes sense because the Midwest and the UK both have ~ 70 million people

Objectively peaked in global importance a century ago and are obviously in decline

Greasy unhealthy food

Old money aristocracy that is hard for outsiders to break into that fund all the high culture and arts

Big social emphasis on pub culture and heavy drinking and after hours underground electronic music

More of a loose archipelago of *many* insular neighborhoods than a unified citywide vibe

Culture heavily shaped by extensive post war immigration from eastern and southern Europe

Economy that became increasingly reliant in the 90’s on financial sectors that entered structural decline in the 2010’s

Two world class research universities ~1-2 hours away from the city center that are about two hours away from each other

Lots of other parallels too!

[austin petersmith @awwstn]

i lost the lid to my coffee grinder and codex tracked down the part, found the dimensions, and made me a 3d print file that fit perfectly in one shot

[Shawn G. Chittle 🎃👻 @ShawnChittle]

Whoever buys one of these and makes it a street legal DC party bus will print money.

[Bloomberg Government @BGOV]

Narrative Strategies has hired Jim Secreto, a longtime Democratic strategist with a background in tech and congressional oversight, as a managing director, the firm shared first with Bloomberg Government. https://t.co/K0jiHKWm3Q

[Manya Koetse @manyapan]

Your accent could cost you money!
A local rice noodle shop in Yangshuo (Guilin) recently went viral when a Chinese blogger exposed how people speaking the local Guilin dialect were charged only 7 yuan ($1) for a bowl of noodles, while customers with a Mandarin/out-of-town accent were charged almost double (13 yuan/$1.9) for the same order.

It's called a "Yin-Yang Menu" (阴阳菜单): two different price strategies for locals vs tourists. In this case, the shop owner had a "secret" policy if the accent wasn't immediately clear: customers asking for noodles by using the more local reference, 卤菜粉 (lǔcài fěn), would pay 7 yuan, customers asking for 桂林米粉 (Guìlín mǐfěn) would pay 13.

After being exposed , the shop keeper said: "It is what I sell, and I sell it in whatever way I want" (我卖东西，想怎么卖就怎么卖).

Even though it's not about an expensive meal, most social media commenters are disgruntled about accent-based pricing and charging an out-of-town accent more than a local accent.., especially because "regional discrimination" (地域歧视) is something that happens and many domestic tourists have experienced.

Not the same, but still funny, is a comment of Lao Gan Ma founder Tao Huabi that came to mind here. She once was asked an interview about why the famous Lao Gan Ma is eight to twelve times more expensive outside of China compared to the Chinese price. She said: “I’m Chinese. I don’t make money off of Chinese people. I want to sell Lao Gan Ma to foreign countries and make money off of foreigners.”😂

I guess the Yangshuo shopkeeper felt the same for Guilin locals vs the rest, as they felt they were justified to charge two different prices: "Local people eat here every day - do you come every day?"

For now, nobody will eat there; the shop's been temporary closed and will receive a fine from the local Market Supervision & Administration Bureau.

[Jim Russell @ProducerCities]

Veblen babies: "In Chicago the population of non-Hispanic white children grew by 6% from 2010 to 2024, faster than the white population grew overall. In Washington, DC, it rose by a truly remarkable 62%" https://t.co/iHYgtVN8Ll

[𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐫 @robertmoor_]

Oh, damn