~ Today’s Water Cooler: Open Thread ~
Monday, January 20, 2025
Civil Society, Beyond Markets and States: Tracking 100 Years of Economic Research
A substantial shift in the focus of economic research over the last half century has for the most part gone unnamed and unnoticed. This is the turn towards what we call civil society, including firms as organisations, families, neighbourhood communities, NGOs, trade unions, social movements, identity groups, and other face-to-face settings.
Sputnik 2.0? Oreshnik and the Western Military Capabilities Gap
The Oreshnik strike is a vivid demonstration of how the West is seriously lagging Russian military capabilities, and remains in denial.
Data Centers Highlight the Limits of Renewable Energy Scaling
Data centers are an obstacle that torpedoes the whole idea of a transition offensive against hydrocarbons.
The Wars Come Home
Silicon Valley looks to bring tech used in conflicts abroad back to American shores.
After Ending in Overtime, COP29 Called ‘Big F U to Climate Justice’
Critics of the “COP of false solutions” said that instead of much-needed funding, developing nations got “a global Ponzi scheme that the private equity vultures and public relations people will now exploit.”
Dems Rip Musk-Ramaswamy Plan for Spending Cuts as Illegal ‘Power Grab’
Yves here. I’ve been waiting for legal arguments against the planned wholesale Federal budget whackage under the Trump DOGE initiative to start. Admittedly its leaders Musk and Ramaswamy had not given much insight into how they intended to achieve their ambitious aims. The little I have seen suggests that they effectively intend to override regulations….which […]
Neglecting Health Care May Have Cost Democrats the Election
Health care inequality and the Covid-19 pandemic’s toll put Democrats at a structural disadvantage in the 2024 election.
2:00PM Water Cooler 11/22/2024
~ Today’s Water Cooler: Politics, syndemics; Trump border czar beats chest; Resistance 2.0 funders and NGOs; Mathematical thinking ~
Fueling the Flames: How the West’s Military Emissions Undermine Climate Action
World leaders criticized COP29 host Azerbaijan for its oil-dependent economy while ignoring the massive climate bootprint of their militaries.
FT Confirms What We’ve Been Saying for Three Years: The US Is Losing the “Battle… for Latin America” to China
“Beijing is now the main trading partner for most nations in the region and has the fastest-growing stock of investments.”
