On the peculiar decline of May Day.
Friday, December 19, 2025
Mamata Banerjee’s TMC Retains West Bengal, Shutting Out Modi’s BJP from Taking Power in the State
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP failed to pull off an upset in West Bengal, and still has never atatinaed a majority in the state.
Biden Urged to Stand ‘On the Side of Humanity’ and Back Waiver for Covid Vaccine Patents
Biden faces increased wroldwide pressure for WTO waiver of intellectual property rules for Covid-19 vaccines as case counts soar in India.
Mark Blyth – An Inflated Fear of Inflation?
Mark Blyth explains why inflation in the U.S., Canada, & E.U. is highly unlikely: a room for more government spending and higher wages.
American Cities Have Long Struggled to Reform Their Police – but Isolated Success Stories Suggest Community and Officer Buy-In Might Be Key
A hard look at why police reform has failed, and what approaches might work.
Musical Interlude (“On the Path of Decent Groove”): Dimash Qudaibergen
Reader Bob H asked for an occasional musical feature. I’m being self-indulgent and offering a recent find: the remarkable Dimash Qudaibergen.
2:00PM Water Cooler 4/30/2021
~ Today’s Water Cooler ~
Social Tipping Points and Forecasting Norms Changes
What does it take to move the norms needle?
How Dodgy Government Accounting Fueled Rapid Rise of Federal Student Loans
Why the student loan mess is even worse than you thought.
A Lifetime “at War”
Even for those comfortably ensconced in the US, war-making has been a constant backdrop for all but the oldest Americans.
America Hasn’t Reckoned with the Coup That Blasted the Black Middle Class
The Wilmington coup is the only successful and lasting armed overthrow of a legitimate municipal government in American history on U.S soil.
2:00PM Water Cooler 4/29/2021
By Lambert Strether of Corrente. Bird Song of the Day From El Salvador. Who knew there could be a bird species called the “Thick-knee”? “Man busted for trying to smuggle 36 birds into the US under his clothes for birdsong contests” [Boing Boing (Re Silc)]. “Authorities at New York City’s JFK Airport nabbed Kevin Andre […]
