Quebec’s Obsession With No Frills Cars, The Truth About Cars, Derek Kreindler, June 14, 2013

One of the quirks of the Canadian marketplace is the abundance of “Quebec specials”; stripped out models with no air-conditioning, a manual transmission and little else. It would be unfair to compare these cars to the Nissan Versa S because these are often variants of good cars, like the Honda Fit or the Kia Rio, but other crappier examples are out there as well. Nissan, for example, makes a Sentra with a 6-speed manual and no A/C for sale in Canada and not the United States, solely as a concession to the Quebec market.

I’ve never heard of this, but it’s very interesting. I’m a regular American, so it never even occurred to me that one way to save money on a car is to buy a manual (if I could even find one here). This is pretty cool, but I doubt they would be strong sellers here. Maybe I’m wrong. It would be nice to know, wouldn’t it?

Flower Theater’s Facade Receives $400,000 Facelift, Montgomery Community Media, Suzanne Pollak, October 24, 2023

I first came across the Flower Theater about four years ago. It’s a late art deco movie theater from 1950, in the Langley Park/suburban Silver Spring area of east Montgomery County. It’s a relatively poor area and the building, while still occupied (as a church) has fallen into disrepair. But it anchors a neat block that almost resembles a city block, despite being right off the main highway. Maybe an old streetcar route. It’s so cool to see things like this get some attention. It’s an architectural gem in the middle of a very sprawly landscape.

When New Urbanists and YIMBY's fight, Build the Next Right Thing, Seth Zeren, November 1, 2023

This is a pretty good walkthrough of the differences in emphasis as well as the overlap between some of the different groups within housing advocacy. I think a lot of the disagreement that Zeren talks about comes down to it taking place on the internet, more so, I think, than he does. Not that there aren’t some real disagreements, but that in real life these things get discussed less acrimoniously.

For example, should buildings be aesthetically pleasing or should we build as many units as possible? That feels like an internet framing to me. At least, I’ve never had or seen that particular discussion outside of Twitter.

But that said, Zeren understands the values of the different groups here well, and if this interests you but you don’t know it through and through, it’s a very good read.

Donations Unneeded, PERC Reports, Tate Watkins, October 17, 2023

This is a neat article from a free-market conservation think tank about synthetic replacements for horseshoe crab blood, a vital substance for modern medical care. What a weird thing that is, isn’t it? Sure, the innovation element makes you feel good about human ingenuity. But the fact that up until then, a field so advanced as modern medicine can’t exist without this particular substrate from the natural world? That awakens both the environmentalist and the conservative in me.

Related Reading:

New and Old #111

New and Old #112

Thank you for reading! Please consider upgrading to a paid subscription to help support this newsletter. You’ll get a weekly subscribers-only piece, plus full access to the archive: over 800 pieces and growing. And you’ll help ensure more like this!

Share