~ 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. ~
Saturday, August 24, 2024
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.
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.
The Irrationality of Markets
More evidence that the current level of advanced economy secondary market trading is bad for economic health.
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
Eight Reasons Mask Bans Are Beyond Stupid
Eight talking points on mask bans.
2:00PM Water Cooler 8/8/2024
~ Today’s Water Cooler: Open Thread ~
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.
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.
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
2:00PM Water Cooler 8/7/2024
~ Today’s Water Cooler: Politics, pandemics; irrational exuberance among the Democrats; introducing Walz; Boeing’s Starliner debacle ~
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.
