~ Today’s Water Cooler: Politics, syndemics ~
Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Rob Urie: When Markets Crash and Wars Rage, Naked Capitalism is Here to Inform
How Naked Capitalism keeps your back in ever more turbulent times.
Satyajit Das: New Asian Cinematic Obsessions
A discussion of recent Japanese and Korean films, and the origins of this cinematic vogue.
First Sweden, Now Brazil: Digital Crime is Exploding in Two of the World’s Most Cashless Economies
“Criminal groups are migrating from physical to virtual crimes because it is a better, more lucrative and less risky business.”
China’s Rare Earth Restrictions Shake Up Global Markets
The US ceding its once-dominant position in rare earths comes back to bite, as China uses rare earths to retaliate against US sanctions.
Who Wants to Kill and Die for the American Empire?
Not only do most people not want to die for questionable causes like the US empire, they don’t want to kill for them either.
Book Review: Anthony Bourdain’s “Kitchen Confidential”
A ramble about food (and ultimately kindness).
Hooray! Met First Goal Quickly, Now on to the Second: Supporting the Commentariat
Kudos! We are clipping along at a healthy pace towards meeting our fundraiser goals. Now on to our second, supporting the comments section.
2:00PM Water Cooler 9/5/2024
Today’s Water Cooler: Politics, syndemics; Lichtman opines: It’s Kamala! RussiaGate II; Commercial real estate woes; Keith Haring ~
Matt Stoller: Naked Capitalism – A Lighthouse for Our Morality and a Community to Be Reckoned With
Support Naked Capitalism for its focus on details and substance, and its fearlessness.
Is the Labor Market “Normalizing?” What Even Is “Normal?”
Fewer quits and historically low layoffs & discharges mean fewer job openings, and less hiring to fill them. The massive pandemic churn slowed. But that’s only part of it.
BRICS Considers Mutual Settlements Similar to the Early EU
Finally, a comparatively modest BRICS-escape-the-dollar proposal that makes sense.
The Persistent Human Costs of Deindustrialization: Lessons from the Collapse of the British Coal Industry
Deindustrialization has terrible consequences to the communities suffering from shut-downs, including future generations.
