Monthly Archives: December 2021

December 31, 2021

• 2:00PM Water Cooler 12/31/2021
  by Lambert Strether 2:00 pm

• Why Is the UK’s National Health Service Being Run by Former Bankers?
  by Nick Corbishley 6:56 am

• Links 12/31/2021
  by Lambert Strether 6:55 am

• ‘Degrowth’ Isn’t Just About the Economy. It’s About Culture.
  by Yves Smith 4:41 am

December 30, 2021

• 2:00PM Water Cooler 12/30/2021
  by Lambert Strether 2:00 pm

• Links 12/30/2021
  by Lambert Strether 6:55 am

• COVID Cases Fill More City Hospital Beds, Threatening Halt on Elective Surgeries
  by Yves Smith 4:40 am

• Chronic Underinvestment Could Push Oil Prices Higher In 2022
  by Yves Smith 3:51 am

December 29, 2021

• 2:00PM Water Cooler 12/29/2021
  by Lambert Strether 2:00 pm

• Links 12/29/2021
  by Lambert Strether 6:55 am

• Administration’s Obvious Covid Flail: Officially Abdicates as Case Count Hits Record; Scientists and Press Misrepresent Data to Put Happy Face on Omicron
  by Yves Smith 5:16 am

• My “Wealth Effect Monitor” & “Wealth Disparity Monitor” for the Fed’s Money-Printer Economy: December Update
  by Yves Smith 2:21 am

December 28, 2021

• 2:00PM Water Cooler 12/28/2021
  by Lambert Strether 2:00 pm

• Links 12/28/2021
  by Yves Smith 6:55 am

• Climate Denial Satire “Don’t Look Up” Now Top Film on Netflix Worldwide
  by Yves Smith 5:49 am

December 27, 2021

• 2:00PM Water Cooler 12/27/2021
  by Lambert Strether 2:00 pm

• Plastics Packaging: Yet Another Reason to Loathe Amazon
  by Jerri-Lynn Scofield 11:55 am

• Links 12/27/2021
  by Jerri-Lynn Scofield 6:55 am

• As Omicron Surges, Sanders Says Congress Must Ensure Mass Distribution of N95 Masks
  by Jerri-Lynn Scofield 6:50 am

December 26, 2021

• Latin America Calls for U.S. to Reduce its Plastic Waste Exports to the Region
  by Jerri-Lynn Scofield 12:55 pm

• Links 12/26/2021
  by Jerri-Lynn Scofield 6:55 am

• James Webb Space Telescope: An Astronomer on the Team Explains How to Send a Giant Telescope to Space – and Why
  by Jerri-Lynn Scofield 5:55 am

December 25, 2021

• Links 12/25/2021
  by Yves Smith 6:55 am

• Manchin Takes Aim at Build Back Better, but His Real Focus is on West Virginia
  by Yves Smith 4:20 am

• 12 Charts for 21
  by Yves Smith 4:09 am

December 24, 2021

• 2:00PM Water Cooler Christmas Eve 2021
  by Lambert Strether 2:00 pm

• Links 12/24/2021
  by Lambert Strether 6:55 am

• Filth, Automobiles, and Our Misguided Obsession With Traffic
  by Yves Smith 4:31 am

• Subway Service Delays Feared as Omicron Hits the Express Track
  by Yves Smith 3:09 am

• Holiday Schedule and Sort of Comments Holiday
  by Yves Smith 2:02 am

December 23, 2021

• 2:00PM Water Cooler 12/23/2021
  by Lambert Strether 2:00 pm

• Links 12/23/2021
  by Yves Smith 6:55 am

• Maybe No Omicron Boosters?
  by Yves Smith 6:53 am

• Understanding Inflation Risks in the US and the Euro Area
  by Yves Smith 6:17 am

• Coal On Track To Break Records Despite Efforts To Curb Production
  by Yves Smith 5:22 am

December 22, 2021

• 2:00PM Water Cooler 12/22/2021
  by Lambert Strether 2:00 pm

• As Pressure Mounts, Biden Considers Extending Pause of Student Loan Payments
  by Yves Smith 9:55 am

• Links 12/22/2021
  by Lambert Strether 6:58 am

• California Suit Takes Aim at Private Equity Engaging in Illegal Practice of Medicine by Owning Outsourced MD Practices
  by Yves Smith 6:53 am

• Kellogg Workers OK Contract, Ending 11-Week Strike
  by Yves Smith 5:04 am

• Why America’s Military Leaders Need to be Purged
  by Yves Smith 4:06 am

December 21, 2021

• 2:00PM Water Cooler 12/21/2021
  by Lambert Strether 2:00 pm

• Crash Course: Injured Patients Who Sign ‘Letters of Protection’ May Face Huge Medical Bills and Risks
  by Yves Smith 9:55 am

• Links 12/21/2021
  by Yves Smith 6:55 am

• Judge Rules CalPERS Violated Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act by Holding Improper Closed Session After Ben Meng Resignation
  by Yves Smith 6:51 am

• As Debt, Inflation and Hunger Rises, Latin America’s Fate Lies Once Again in Wall Street’s Hands
  by Nick Corbishley 6:50 am

• The Privilege of Staying Home: COVID and the Highly Skilled Workforce
  by Yves Smith 5:12 am

December 20, 2021

• 2:00PM Water Cooler 12/20/2021
  by Lambert Strether 2:00 pm

• Mind-Boggling White House Presser Deploys Covid Blame Cannons, Vaporizes “Public Health” (and Walensky Slays)
  by Lambert Strether 1:58 pm

• Alone and Lonely: The Economic Cost of Solitude
  by Lambert Strether 9:55 am

• Links 12/20/2021
  by Lambert Strether 6:55 am

• The Democrats Go Full Götterdämmerung as Manchin Makes DOA of BBB Official; Omicron Undermines Scapegoating the Unvaxxed
  by Yves Smith 6:54 am

• Russia’s Non-Aggression Pact Is an Offer for Germany To Realize the US Won’t Negotiate Because the Blin-Needle Gang Will Fight to the Last German, Then Run Away
  by Yves Smith 3:49 am

December 19, 2021

• Carbon Pipelines in the Hawkeye State
  by Lambert Strether 1:59 pm

• Links 12/19/2021
  by Lambert Strether 6:55 am

• The Infrastructure Bill’s Hydrogen Funding Is a Big Win for the Oil and Gas Industry
  by Lambert Strether 6:25 am

December 18, 2021

• Links 12/18/2021
  by Yves Smith 6:55 am

• The Magnificent History of the Maligned and Misunderstood Fruitcake
  by Yves Smith 6:50 am

• How a Group of Starbucks Workers Emerged Victorious in Their Union Fight
  by Yves Smith 6:27 am

• We Are Fifteen Years Old
  by Yves Smith 4:10 am

December 17, 2021

• 2:00PM Water Cooler 12/17/2021
  by Lambert Strether 2:00 pm

• On the Loss of Public Spiritedness in the West and the Impact on Politics
  by Yves Smith 9:55 am

• Links 12/17/2021
  by Lambert Strether 6:55 am

• More Cheery Omicron News
  by Yves Smith 6:45 am

• Climate Change: Where’s the Beef?
  by Jerri-Lynn Scofield 6:40 am

• Mirabile Dictu! Appeals Judge Rejects $4.5 Billion Purdue Pharma Opioid Settlement for Giving Sacklers Release from Civil Suits
  by Yves Smith 6:31 am

December 16, 2021

• 2:00PM Water Cooler 12/16/2021
  by Lambert Strether 2:00 pm

• Build Back Better Verges on Collapse as Manchin Attempts to Kill Child Tax Credit
  by Yves Smith 9:55 am

• Links 12/16/2021
  by Yves Smith 6:55 am

• Omicron: Fog of Information and Definitions
  by Yves Smith 6:54 am

• Thomas Ferguson: Is the U$A a Democracy?
  by Yves Smith 5:38 am

• Colorado Hospitals in ‘Critical Condition’ as State Weathers Another Surge
  by Yves Smith 4:56 am

December 15, 2021

• 2:00PM Water Cooler 12/15/2021
  by Lambert Strether 2:00 pm

• Being Rich Does Not Make You More Generous. It Makes You Meaner.
  by Yves Smith 9:55 am

• Links 12/15/2021
  by Lambert Strether 6:55 am

• ‘If We Want to Tackle Climate Change, We Want Them to Go Bankrupt … Right?’
  by Yves Smith 4:30 am

• The US Doesn’t Have Enough Faculty To Train the Next Generation of Nurses
  by Yves Smith 3:39 am

December 14, 2021

• Cornell Goes Code Red, Cancels Most Campus Activities During Covid Spike with “Very High Percentage” Omicron in Fully Vaxxed
  by Yves Smith 11:20 pm

• 2:00PM Water Cooler 12/14/2021
  by Lambert Strether 2:00 pm

• Amazon’s Deathtrap Warehouse in Edwardsville, IL: Will Bessemer, AL Be Next?
  by Lambert Strether 1:55 pm

• Links 12/14/2021
  by Yves Smith 6:55 am

• Omicron Cases Serious in Denmark and Overall Morbidity Picture Not Pretty Either
  by Yves Smith 6:54 am

• Oil & Gas Investors Are Underestimating This Systemic Risk: Plugging Costs
  by Yves Smith 5:30 am

• Culture Wars: Identity Politics and the Fight Against Surveillance Capitalism
  by Yves Smith 4:33 am

December 13, 2021

• 2:00PM Water Cooler 12/13/2021
  by Lambert Strether 2:00 pm

• Hospitals Abandon Covid-19 Vaccine Requirement to Ease Staffing Shortages
  by Jerri-Lynn Scofield 10:55 am

• Links 12/13/2021
  by Jerri-Lynn Scofield 6:58 am

• ‘Inexcusable’: Amazon Under Fire After Warehouse Collapse Kills at Least Six
  by Jerri-Lynn Scofield 6:54 am

• Hoisted from Comments: How the Democrats Lost Flyover
  by Yves Smith 5:28 am

• Share Buybacks Surge to Record Ahead of Potential 1% Tax: Companies Buy as Insiders Dump like there’s No Tomorrow
  by Yves Smith 4:30 am

• New E-Mail Service This AM
  by Yves Smith 4:11 am

December 12, 2021

• Mandatory Household Food Waste Recycling Program Starts in California in January
  by Jerri-Lynn Scofield 9:55 am

• Links 12/12/2021
  by Jerri-Lynn Scofield 6:55 am

• Mapped: The Network of Powerful Agribusiness Groups Lobbying to Water Down the EU’s Sustainable Farming Targets
  by Jerri-Lynn Scofield 6:50 am

December 11, 2021

• Links 12/11/2021
  by Yves Smith 6:55 am

• Book Review: Demystifying the Idea of Consciousness
  by Yves Smith 6:40 am

• How ‘Big Oil’ Works the System and Keeps Winning
  by Yves Smith 6:11 am

• Daily E-Mail Switchover This Weekend
  by Yves Smith 3:53 am

December 10, 2021

• 2:00PM Water Cooler 12/10/2021
  by Lambert Strether 2:00 pm

• How To Compare Incomes Across Countries
  by Yves Smith 9:55 am

• Links 12/10/2021
  by Lambert Strether 6:55 am

• Inflation Continues to Soar in Latin America, Even As Central Banks Intensify Their Rate Hikes
  by Nick Corbishley 6:52 am

• Bloomberg, Other Publications Criticize CalPERS’ Leverage on Leverage Plan to Boost Returns While Missing Additional Types of Borrowing
  by Yves Smith 6:50 am

• Health Experts Worry CDC’s Covid Vaccination Rates Appear Inflated
  by Yves Smith 12:59 am

December 9, 2021

• 2:00PM Water Cooler 12/9/2021
  by Lambert Strether 2:00 pm

• Extreme Weather and Pandemic Help Drive Global Food Prices to 46-Year High
  by Yves Smith 9:55 am

• Links 12/9/2021
  by Lambert Strether 6:55 am

• Omicron Happy Talk in the US v. Toughening Restrictions in UK, Israel
  by Yves Smith 6:51 am

• Endowments’ Money Management Destroying Value Demonstrates Economic Drain of Asset Management Business
  by Yves Smith 4:21 am

• How the Build Back Better Bill Would Save Workers’ Lives
  by Yves Smith 2:12 am

December 8, 2021

• 2:00PM Water Cooler 12/8/2021
  by Lambert Strether 2:00 pm

• Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court Throws Ball Back to Biden
  by Jerri-Lynn Scofield 11:55 am

• Links 12/8/2021
  by Jerri-Lynn Scofield 6:55 am

• Plastics Use in Farming Threatens Food Safety and Human Health, FAO Warns
  by Jerri-Lynn Scofield 6:50 am

• How Congress Loots the Treasury for the Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex
  by Jerri-Lynn Scofield 5:25 am

• Climate Change: Adapt for the Future, Not the Past
  by Jerri-Lynn Scofield 2:55 am

December 7, 2021

• 2:00PM Water Cooler 12/7/2021
  by Lambert Strether 2:00 pm

• The Romance of Shipping Containers
  by Lambert Strether 1:55 pm

• Gravel or Green: What Will Become of Alaska’s Coastal Plain?
  by Lambert Strether 9:55 am

• Links 12/7/2021
  by Lambert Strether 6:55 am

• Why An Open, Transparent, Informed Debate About Mandatory Vaccination Is All But Impossible in the EU
  by Nick Corbishley 6:48 am

• The PR Industry Has Been a ‘Major’ But ‘Overlooked’ Influence in Climate Politics for Decades, Says Study
  by Lambert Strether 5:25 am

December 6, 2021

• 2:00PM Water Cooler 12/6/2021
  by Lambert Strether 2:00 pm

• Biden’s Faltering Speech on His Covid “Winter Plan”
  by Lambert Strether 1:58 pm

• Just Say No: IKEA to Phase Out Plastic Packaging By 2028
  by Jerri-Lynn Scofield 9:55 am

• Links 12/6/2021
  by Lambert Strether 6:55 am

• Facebook: Latest Court Case Shows How Europe is Clamping Down on Big Tech
  by Jerri-Lynn Scofield 6:50 am

• Too Big to Strand? Bond Versus Bank Financing in the Transition to a Low Carbon Economy
  by Lambert Strether 5:55 am

December 5, 2021

• Oslo Omicron Outbreak a Textbook Aerosol-Driven Superspreader Event; Biden “Vax-Only” Policy Totters
  by Lambert Strether 1:58 pm

• Links 12/5/2021
  by Lambert Strether 6:55 am

• Is It Time to Change the Definition of ‘Fully Vaccinated’?
  by Lambert Strether 6:25 am

December 4, 2021

• Links 12/4/2021
  by Lambert Strether 6:55 am

• Why Do We Need a 24/7 Economy?
  by Lambert Strether 6:50 am

• Why Amazon Is Terrified of Its U.S. Workers Unionizing
  by Yves Smith 2:36 am

December 3, 2021

• 2:00PM Water Cooler 12/3/2021
  by Lambert Strether 2:00 pm

• WSJ Report: Companies Step Up Efforts to Get You to Cough Up Your Data, in the Face of Policy Changes by Apple and Google
  by Jerri-Lynn Scofield 9:55 am

• Links 12/3/2021
  by Lambert Strether 6:55 am

• Why Has the Press Ignored Retailers’ Crappy Black Fridays, as Experts Warn of Coming Bankruptcies?
  by Yves Smith 5:27 am

• Pentagon Blasted for ‘Unacceptable Failure’ to Reckon With Civilian Casualties
  by Yves Smith 4:28 am

• The US Biofuel Mandate Helps Farmers, but Does Little for Energy Security and Harms the Environment
  by Yves Smith 4:03 am

December 2, 2021

• 2:00PM Water Cooler 12/2/2021
  by Lambert Strether 2:00 pm

• The Case of Igor Tarakanov Who Shot Down MH17 Before Shooting Himself in the Foot
  by Yves Smith 9:55 am

• Links 12/2/2021
  by Yves Smith 6:55 am

• US Putting Choke Chain on UK Over Threat to Invoke Article 16, Retrade Brexit Irish Protocol
  by Yves Smith 6:54 am

• How Would the Left Treat an Illegitimate Election?
  by Yves Smith 5:25 am

• Quitting Your Job or Thinking About Joining the ‘Great Resignation’? Here’s What an Employment Lawyer Advises
  by Yves Smith 4:57 am

December 1, 2021

• 2:00PM Water Cooler 12/1/2021
  by Lambert Strether 2:00 pm

• Profiting from the Carbon Offset Distraction
  by Yves Smith 9:55 am

• Links 12/1/2021
  by Yves Smith 6:54 am

• Satyajit Das: Fintech’s ‘Flim-Flam’ Innovation Games
  by Yves Smith 6:50 am

• Nassim Nicholas Taleb: No, Covid 19 Is Not an Old Person Problem
  by Yves Smith 6:15 am

• Congress ‘Asleep at the Switch’ as Biden Continues Trump-Era Ploy to Privatize Medicare
  by Yves Smith 4:37 am