Author Archives: John McGregor

Some Rural Hospitals Are in Such Bad Shape, Local Governments Are Practically Giving Them Away

John here. This article provides an interesting view of the economics of rural hospitals, which are closing at an alarming rate. In particular, it highlights how counties often negotiate from desperately weak positions, even when they have invested in the infrastructure. Another recent KHN article reported on the start-up Noble Health, which took over two […]

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National Cyber Defenses Mean Businesses Can Keep Making Money From Public Services

By John McGregor, a translator and political violence researcher Cyber attacks targeting private sector providers for essential public services result in additional waste of public resources. When public health care fails in cyber security, politicians are quick to blame staff on the ground. But when private companies become the weak link, state resources are spent […]

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Ukraine Could Abandon Key Labour Principle as Part of EU Drive

John here. In the midst of the current conflict, somehow Zelensky’s National Council for the Recovery of Ukraine from the War has found time to work on dismantling the collective bargaining structures in the country and undermining workers’ rights. However and whenever Ukraine eventually emerges from the conflict, it seems certain that Ukrainian workers will […]

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The Future of Copper and the Future of Bougainville

By John McGregor, a translator and political violence researcher The mass transition to renewable energy will require a fundamental redesign of much of our technology and the infrastructure that supports it. Copper will be required in far greater quantities than it is currently. A July 2022 analysis by S&P Global has identified that there will […]

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Dodgy Demand Data? The Oil Price Collapse Conspiracy

John here. Environmental concerns and tighter regulations reduced investment in refineries. Tight refining capacity then drove the high crack spreads, but they have recently. This long-term strategy to reduce the use of fossil fuels by raising prices is achieving its goal, but at the predictable cost of people using less fuel. Gas stations, largely independent […]

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Australia’s Grand Plans to Export Solar – A Lesson from the ‘Gas Crisis’

By John McGregor, a translator and political violence researcher As perverse as it seems, achieving the dream of linking Australian renewable energy to Asian energy buyers may generate a household electricity crisis as artificial as the current gas crisis. As with LNG, large scale solar projects are set to largely, perhaps even entirely, bypass domestic […]

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