~ Today’s Water Cooler ~
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
Mask Mandates and Other Lockdown Policies Reduced the Spread of Covid-19 in the US
If the US had on 1 April 2020 universally mandated that employees of public-facing businesses use masks, there could have been nearly 40% fewer deaths by the start of June.
New Study Slams Public Pension Funds’ Alternative Investments as Drag on Performance, Identifies CalPERS as One of the Worst “Negative Alphas”; Shows Folly of CalPERS’ Desperate Plan to Increase Private Equity and Debt and Go Bigger Using Leverage
A new paper shows that public pension fund investment in “alts” like real estate and private equity hurt returns and failed to lower risk.
The European Union’s Fateful Choices for Recovery – An Italian Perspective
To fight COVID-19, the European Union must recognize that spending restraints have to go.
2:00PM Water Cooler 7/15/2020
~ Today’s Water Cooler ~
COVID-19 Mistakes to Avoid: Don’t Mix Up Prophylaxis and Cure
Big Pharma is promoting untested proprietary vaccines and therapies and giving short shrift to repurposing cheaper generic alternatives.
Trump Admin Retracts Rule that Would Have Cancelled Visas for Foreign College Students Who Only Study Online
Trump backs down on plan too toss out foreign students who are forced to study on-line, as many universities circumscribe in-person classes,
US Corporations a Driving Force Behind ‘Unprecedented Wave’ of Global Land Privatization: Report
This Oakland Institute study documents how the neoliberal project proceeds, with US interests pushing to privatize land in the Global South.
Coronavirus Shows the Dangers of Letting Market Forces Govern Health and Social Care
The coronavirus crisis showcases the folly of letting the market determine health and social care: high time for governments to listen,
2:00PM Water Cooler 7/14/2020
~ Today’s Water Cooler ~
COVID-19 Mistakes to Avoid: Don’t Conflate Contact Tracing with Contact Tracing By App
Big Tech and Big Pharma each has a dog in the COVID-19 fight and wish to replace what has worked before and is working now with technofixes.
Save the Tiger, Shift to other Big Cats: Illegal Wildlife Trafficking and the Rise in Zoonotic Diseases
Second UN Office on Drugs and Crime World Wildife Crime Report connects illegal wildlife trade to increase in zoonotic diseases.
