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Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Hoisted from Comments: A Discussion of China’s Faltering Growth
An example of the comments section at work, here on China, with both some very informative reader content and some sour notes.
A Win in Long-Running Kentucky Retirement Systems Pension Case: Attorney General Thwarted in Scheme to Settle Claims Against KKR and Blackstone on the Cheap
In a step forward for long-suffering Kentucky Retirement Systems (now Kentucky Public Pension Authority) beneficiaries, attorneys for so-called Tier 3 Plaintiffs beat back a scheme by Attorney General Russell Coleman to settle claims against private equity kingpins KKR and Blackstone on the cheap…oh, and completely drop claims against their top partners, here the famed Henry […]
Climate Crisis Is Causing a Chocolate Market Meltdown: Study
Between July of 2022 and February of last year, cocoa prices jumped by 136 percent, partially due to climate extremes in West Africa’s Cocoa Belt.
How Much More Is Europe Prepared to Lose?
The EU has already dramatically remade its societies, governance structure, and social values over the past three years in fight against Russia. Where will it end?
US Export Controls and the Restructuring of Global Value Chains: An Analysis of Japanese Multinationals’ Exits From China
If tighter trade controls are making it more difficult for Japanese firms in China to access advanced components and technologies, the effects may be reflected in the exit behaviour of Japanese firms from China rather than in trade statistics.
Is Trump Poisoning the Prospects of Negotiation With Russia Over Ukraine with His Minerals Deal?
The US looks to be throwing a spanner into the possibility of Ukraine peace talks by getting Ukraine to sign over mineral rights to the US.
Interview: How Elon Musk Blurs the Lines of Free Speech
Billionaire Elon Musk’s new job raises tricky First Amendment questions, with implications for public health.
Will Some EU States Seize Russia’s “Shadow Fleet” In The Baltic?
Could major incident in the Baltic Sea spark a crisis that leads to Russian escalation, thwarting Ukraine talks?
2:00PM Water Cooler 2/14/2025
~ Today’s Water Cooler: Politics, Syndemics; USAID shutdown vexes evangelicals; from their websites, the DOGEbags couldn’t code a lemonade stand; Boeing not out of the woods; Valentine’s Day musical interlude ~
‘Going Against Trump Policies Is Not Fraud’: White House Panned Over Absurd Defense of DOGE
Administration efforts to defend DOGE confirm that spending cuts are ideological, and not value-neutral ‘efficiency’ or cost reduction
