Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Biden Urged to Stand ‘On the Side of Humanity’ and Back Waiver for Covid Vaccine Patents

Biden faces increased wroldwide pressure for WTO waiver of intellectual property rules for Covid-19 vaccines as case counts soar in India.

Links 5/1/2021

Mark Blyth – An Inflated Fear of Inflation?

Mark Blyth explains why inflation in the U.S., Canada, & E.U. is highly unlikely: a room for more government spending and higher wages.

American Cities Have Long Struggled to Reform Their Police – but Isolated Success Stories Suggest Community and Officer Buy-In Might Be Key

A hard look at why police reform has failed, and what approaches might work.

Musical Interlude (“On the Path of Decent Groove”): Dimash Qudaibergen

Reader Bob H asked for an occasional musical feature. I’m being self-indulgent and offering a recent find: the remarkable Dimash Qudaibergen.

2:00PM Water Cooler 4/30/2021

~ Today’s Water Cooler ~

Social Tipping Points and Forecasting Norms Changes

What does it take to move the norms needle?

Links 4/30/2021

How Dodgy Government Accounting Fueled Rapid Rise of Federal Student Loans

Why the student loan mess is even worse than you thought.

A Lifetime “at War”

Even for those comfortably ensconced in the US, war-making has been a constant backdrop for all but the oldest Americans.

America Hasn’t Reckoned with the Coup That Blasted the Black Middle Class

The Wilmington coup is the only successful and lasting armed overthrow of a legitimate municipal government in American history on U.S soil.

2:00PM Water Cooler 4/29/2021

By Lambert Strether of Corrente. Bird Song of the Day From El Salvador. Who knew there could be a bird species called the “Thick-knee”? “Man busted for trying to smuggle 36 birds into the US under his clothes for birdsong contests” [Boing Boing (Re Silc)]. “Authorities at New York City’s JFK Airport nabbed Kevin Andre […]

Shhhh, They’re Listening – Inside the Coming Voice-Profiling Revolution

Voice profiling….a brave new world of business shysterdom?

Links 4/29/2021

Private Equity and Hedge Fund Barons Having a Hissy Over Carried Interest Grift Because Biden Isn’t Staying Bought

The end of the carried interest loophole has been long in coming. Will the sell-by date finally arrive?