Sunday, December 21, 2025

The Downton Abbey Effect: British Aristocratic Matches with American Business Heiresses in the Late 19th Century

How economically faltering British aristocrats monetized their titles.

Red List: More than a Quarter of Species Worldwide Face Extinction; Meanwhile, a Local NYC Group Protects Piping Plovers

Political and scientific leaders meet in Marseille to debate the biodiversity crisis; meanwhile closer to home, a NYC volunteer group moves to help protect nesting piping plovers.

Links 9/6/2021

An Entire Generation of Americans Has No Idea How Easy Air Travel Used to Be

While air passengers today might someday see the eventual end of the COVID-19 public health security measures, they’re far less likely to see a return to pre-9/11 security levels at airports.

Waste Watch: Russia, UK Adopt Single Use Plastics Bans

Russia and the UK take limited steps to slow the plastics juggernaut.

Allow Least Developed Countries to Develop

Optimal economic policy for LDCs requires their goverments to resist aping Washington and OECD fads.

Links 9/5/2021

Links 9/4/2021

Neoliberalism Is Dying – Now We Must Replace It

From taming Big Tech to competing with China, Western governments are retreatig from neoliberalism. But what comes next?

Book Review: The Rise of Harm Reduction in the War on Drugs

Maia Szalavitz’s “Undoing Drugs” chronicles the growing harm reduction movement which prioritizes people in the battle against addiction.

2:00PM Water Cooler 9/3/2021

~ Today’s Water Cooler ~

‘America Has a Monopoly Problem’: Coalition Backs Legislation to Break Up Big Tech

Anti-monopoly interests have proposed a series of bills to give regulators more power, particularly with respect to tech.

Links 9/3/2021

Why Are Spanish Companies Beating a Retreat from Latin America?

Latin America helped transform Spanish firms into global ones. But conditions are changing and some are getting cold feet.

CalPERS Election Dirty Tricks: Hit Piece Depicts Board Member Margaret Brown as Safety Harrasser

A safer CalPERS in your future?