A new report shows Africa’s Green Revolution is “failing on its own terms.”
Friday, July 11, 2025
2:00PM Water Cooler 7/17/2020
COVID problem states ~ Big donors unbelt for Biden ~ Trump shakes up campaign leadership ~ Politico’s horrid beat sweetener with CIA goon Slotkin ~ Consumer sentiment, construction, rail, employment situation ~ Wirecard shorts ~ Shortages as COVID peaks again ~ COVID data ~ Unbadged Feds bundle Portland protesters into unmarked vans ~ Reddit
Learning to Love State Capitalism
We’re constantly told that state capitalism is back. But these narratives are far from innocent.
Misunderstanding Public Pension Fund Implications of Thole v. US Bank and Mayberry v. KKR
How some commentators are misreading two recent court cases on pensions: Thole v. US Bank and Mayberry v. KKR.
Introducing *An Economic Program for American Democracy*
A 1938 economic manifesto makes modern day schemes look inadequate and unimaginative.
“Cancel Culture,” Race and the Greed of the Billionaire Class
Why cancel culture gets the elites off the inequality hook.
Hysteria Ensues as Trump Administration Orders Hospitals to Send COVID-19 Data to HHS, not the CDC
When HHS decided to take COVID-19 data collection away from CDC, that might have been a smart move.
2:00PM Water Cooler 7/16/2020
~ Today’s Water Cooler ~
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.
