~ Today’s Water Cooler: Politics, syndemics; Friday’s charts: Covid wastewater (still bad) and polling charts (bad for Trump); Lambert lashes himself to the mast; Walz swiftboating: Nice try, no cigar. Boeing’s Starliner debacle. Again. ~
Recent Items
Saturday, August 24, 2024
2:00PM Water Cooler 8/9/2024
Topics: Water Cooler
Posted by Lambert Strether at 2:00 pm | 105 Comments »
US Deploys Pathetic Wizard of Oz Messaging Strategy to Pretend It Can Influence Iran Conflict Trajectory
The US is bizarrely pretending it has influence over the coming Iran and Axis of Resistance response to Israel escalation.
Topics: Doomsday scenarios, Media watch, Middle East, Politics
Posted by Yves Smith at 11:10 am | 102 Comments »
Links 8/9/2024
Topics: Links
Posted by Lambert Strether at 6:58 am | 132 Comments »
Why Did US Quietly Reverse Its Decision to Unilaterally Recognise Venezuela’s Opposition Candidate As President?
“Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States… that Edmundo González Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election.” But it was only clear for four days.
Topics: Guest Post
Posted by Nick Corbishley at 6:45 am | 40 Comments »
The Irrationality of Markets
More evidence that the current level of advanced economy secondary market trading is bad for economic health.
Topics: Banking industry, Credit markets, Dubious statistics, Economic fundamentals, Federal Reserve, Free markets and their discontents, Guest Post, Income disparity, Investment management, Politics, Regulations and regulators, The dismal science
Posted by Yves Smith at 6:10 am | 11 Comments »
Department of Pre-Crime, TSA Edition
The TSA is now harassing mere pretty mild political dissenters via intrusive bag checks and deploying heavy-duty surveillance teams
Topics: Guest Post
Posted by Yves Smith at 6:00 am | 55 Comments »
Eight Reasons Mask Bans Are Beyond Stupid
Eight talking points on mask bans.
Topics: Guest Post, Pandemic
Posted by Lambert Strether at 4:25 pm | 17 Comments »
2:00PM Water Cooler 8/8/2024
~ Today’s Water Cooler: Open Thread ~
Topics: Guest Post, Water Cooler
Posted by Lambert Strether at 2:00 pm | 77 Comments »
Book Review: You Talking to Me? How Human Language Evolved
Prehistory professor Steven Mithen’s “The Language Puzzle” explores the mysteries of when and how we began to speak.
Topics: Curiousities, Guest Post, Science and the scientific method
Posted by Lambert Strether at 9:55 am | 25 Comments »
Links 8/8/2024
Topics: Guest Post, Links
Posted by Lambert Strether at 6:58 am | 166 Comments »
Satyajit Das: The Middle East’s A Dance of Death – Part 3: Spillover
Why the prospects for containing, much the less resolving, the escalating Middle East conflict, are poor.
Topics: Doomsday scenarios, Economic fundamentals, Energy markets, Guest Post, Middle East, Politics
Posted by Yves Smith at 5:38 am | 32 Comments »
World-Ending Maneuvers? Inside the Nuclear-Weapons Lobby Today
Even if the looming Israel-Iran conflict does not produce a regional war or worse, the ICBM lobby poses another huge risk to collective safety
Topics: Doomsday scenarios, Guest Post, Middle East, Politics, Russia
Posted by Yves Smith at 1:50 am | 15 Comments »
2:00PM Water Cooler 8/7/2024
~ Today’s Water Cooler: Politics, pandemics; irrational exuberance among the Democrats; introducing Walz; Boeing’s Starliner debacle ~
Topics: Guest Post, Water Cooler
Posted by Lambert Strether at 2:00 pm | 111 Comments »
Links 8/7/2024
Topics: Links
Posted by Yves Smith at 6:55 am | 166 Comments »
Democrats’ VP Choice Tim Walz Has a History of Working on the Side of Monied Interests Against Workers
Walz’s folksy persona helps mask standard neoliberal positions, and Minnesota workers paid the price.
Topics: Guest Post, Health care, Media watch, Politics, Social policy, Social values
Posted by Conor Gallagher at 6:00 am | 76 Comments »