A look at a historical example of a concerted book ban to assess its effectiveness and long-term impact.
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
2:00PM Water Cooler 1/31/2025
~ Today’s Water Cooler: Politics, Syndemics; Elon demands access to the Federal Government’s check-writing machine; DOGE’s IT; The DNC meets to pick a new chair ~
Kelp Farming Isn’t As Green As It Seems
Why kelp, hyped as a carbon sink, does not live up to its promise.
Remember Ukraine’s “Diia” Digital Governance System? Russian Hackers Brought It Down in December, and It Is Still Partly Down
The Zelensky government’s “state in a smartphone” model of digital identity and governance, once a source of pride and inspiration for other countries, has become a source of derision.
Should the Government Be Allowed to Hold Bitcoin?
A terse debunking of the idea that governments holding Bitcoin or other private currencies is good for anyone other than their touts.
The Economic Benefit of Conflict: A Thriving Armaments Sector
Quelle surprise! Data supports the notion that defense contractors do well in times of conflict.
2:00PM Water Cooler 1/30/2025
~ Today’s Water Cooler: Politics, syndemics; The Rescinded OMB “freeze” memo: after-action reports and interpretations; Beware the so-called “buyout” scheme; Tulsi Gabbard nomination for DNI ~
How Climate Change and Widespread Unaffordable Home Insurance Will Wreck Property Values
The death spiral of home insurance in climate afflicted areas has begun. The will and means to tackle underlying issues are sorely wanting
Fake Papers Are Contaminating the World’s Scientific Literature, Fueling a Corrupt Industry and Slowing Legitimate Lifesaving Medical Research
Why the problem a rising level of bogus scientific papers exists in the first place and is proving difficult to combat.
Richard Wolff: Settler Colonialism – ‘It Ends With Us’ in Palestine and Israel
Richard Wolff shares how his personal experience as well as early research influenced his view of settler colonialism and the Israel project.
Higher Impact of Inflation on Lower Income Households Means US Poverty Is Understated
A new study confirms many reports: inflation in the US markedly degraded the position of middle class households, pushing some into poverty
2:00PM Water Cooler 1/29/2025
~ Today’s Water Cooler: Anti-Trump lawfare begins… but with far, far more solid cases; OMB memo RESCINDED. That was fast!; A defense of slowness ~
The Bogus Justification for AI Uptake and the Real Reason for the Scam
AI, in a significant majority of cases, reduces productivity. And there’s not much reason to expect better any time soon.
