Weekly Writers Round-Up: Twitter Lawsuits, the College Bribery Scandal, and Japan’s Better Approach to Zoning

Each week, we’ll be featuring the work of the alumni and current participants of AF’s Writing Fellows Program. A few highlights from the past week are below. For more information on how the program can help launch your career in writing, see here. And if you’re interested in meeting program staff, alumni, and other writers and editors in the DC area, join us on March 29 for our spring happy hour.

Devin Nunes’ Twitter Lawsuit Is Meant to Lay the Groundwork to Regulate Social Media by Tyler Grant (Summer 2018) in USA Today
Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., is fed up. He’s making good on his promise to sue Twitter, filing a complaint Monday against the tech giant, two Twitter users (@DevinNunesMom and @DevinCow) and political strategist Liz Mair because of alleged defamatory tweets about him. He’s seeking $250 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages, alleging “negligence, defamation per se, insulting words and civil conspiracy.”

Nunes will probably not be successful in his lawsuit. Besides, it’s a case that’s really just a head nod to the president’s hope of regulating social media…

College Bribery Scandal Shows How School Systems Set up Poor, Minority Students to Fail by Billy Binion (Spring 2018) in Reason
She wanted her daughters to go to a good school, and she broke the law to make it happen.

I’m not talking about Lori Loughlin or Felicity Huffman, the Hollywood stars who made headlines for writing fat checks to sneak their children into elite universities. I’m referring to Kelley Williams-Bolar, who, in 2011, used her father’s address to ensure her kids attended a higher-quality school outside her Akron, Ohio, school district. Williams-Bolar served nine days of a five-year prison sentence, received three years probation, and had to complete 80 hours of community service…

Why Is Japanese Zoning More Liberal Than US Zoning? by Nolan Gray (Fall 2015) in Market Urbanism
Over the past few years, Japanese zoning has become popular among YIMBYs thanks to a classic blog post by Urban kchoze. It’s easy to see why: Japanese zoning is relatively liberal, with few bulk and density controls, limited use segregation, and no regulatory distinction between apartments and single-family homes. Most development in Japan happens “as-of-right,” meaning that securing permits doesn’t require a lengthy review process. Taken as a whole, Japan’s zoning system makes it easy to build walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods, which is why cities like Tokyo are among the most affordable in the developed world…