Assorted Links Thursday

Do you know how to make a pencil? You don’t, do you? No single person on earth does. The pencil, like most modern wonders, is the end product of an intricate chain of human activity that spans the globe.

The labor market right now is just musical chairs.

The worlds largest wheat exporter has invaded and is destroying the civilian infrastructure of the world's fourth largest wheat exporter. Those post it notes are the start of the story, not the end.

The whole grocery store is basically owned by ~10 companies:

The most valuable infastructure in the world:

What's in a bushel of corn?

Russia’s war in Ukraine is the end of globalization:

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has ended globalization as we know it, says the head of BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager.

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink told shareholders in a letter on Thursday that Russia’s “decoupling from the global economy” following its assault on Ukraine has caused governments and companies to examine their reliance on other nations.

“The Russian invasion of Ukraine has put an end to the globalization we have experienced over the last three decades,” Fink wrote.

Petroleum inputs into common goods:

Visualizing the 1.6 billion weeks of unemployment benefit checks paid during the pandemic:

I can't see how this won't increase inflation: California may give up to $800 to each car owner for gas.

A brief history of construction startups: Over the last 20 years, software and technology startups have become increasingly important and influential (of the 10 most profitable companies on the Fortune 500, 3 are internet startups, with 5 others from earlier tech startup eras.) But it’s unclear to what extent this trend is occurring in construction.

How Grover Cleveland ruined American cruises: These days, anyone can hop on a cruise from Miami to Cuba. But if you try to board a ship from Miami to Key West, New York or Charleston, Grover Cleveland will stop you.