~ Today’s Water Cooler: Politics, syndemics; What happens if the House fails to elect a new Speaker quickly? Justice Department is conflicted on Mangione prosecution; A “silent” Covid surge? Making your garden safe for robins in the winter ~
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Trump and Political Realignment: Twirling Toward Freedom?
Is Trump’s hostile takeover of the Republican party part of a political realignment, or just jousting among plutocrats?
What Would a Net-Zero 2050 Actually Look Like?
Some Net Zero hopium. Reader evaluations encouraged.
Democracy Dies in the EU: Romania Edition
Is the cancelling of the Romanian election a harbinger of what’s to come in Western “democracies”?
For Science That Comes With Risks, a Key Question: Who Decides?
From pathogen research to geoengineering and AI, consequential science is accelerating. Whose hands are on the wheel?
2:00PM Water Cooler Christmas Eve 2024
~ Today’s Water Cooler: Christmas Eve open thread ~
With Help From NAFTA 2.0, US Strikes Brutal Blow Against Mexican Food Sovereignty, Health and Global Biodiversity
“Both the USMCA and this ruling issued by the trade dispute panel are designed primarily to protect the interests of transnational corporations.”
Israelis Invade Syria: Who Will Stop Israel?
Israel is in the midst of a land grab in Syria. Ex Ansar Allah, the disapproving world majority merely finger-wags.
CDC’s Research Program on Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAIs) Minimizes Airborne Transmission
In CDC’s approach to Hospital Acquired Infections, strategies to prevent the spread of pathogens through the air are ignored or downplayed.
2:00PM Water Cooler 12/23/2024
~ Today’s Water Cooler: Politics, Syndemics; Trump to pull out of WHO; Covid and the brain; Boeing 737 crashes not due to MCAS?!; Quantum consciousness ~
Climate Change Is Making Plants Less Nutritious − That Could Already Be Hurting Animals That Are Grazers
More hidden than rising seas or heatwaves, long-term changes in the nutritional value of plants could be even more disruptive.
