Sunday, September 14, 2025

On the Demise of Universities

More on how neoliberalism has been digging a grave for universities.

Medical System Cracking: New Rochelle Nurses Strike Over Unsafe Staffing Levels; Washington State Warns of Potential for “Catastrophic Loss of Medical Care”

Medical systems are already under strain due to Covid and some nurses have had enough.

It’s Time to Break Up Britain

The Tories’ shambolic, self-serving rule has stoked interest in Britain breakaways by Scotland and even Wales and the North. But are they viable?

2:00PM Water Cooler 12/10/2020

~ Today’s Water Cooler ~

Polarized Pandemic Response and Covid-19 Connectedness Across US States

US data shows that strict responses reduce Covid outbreaks, and less stringent (Republican) states spread disease to each other.

Links 12/10/2020

Morag Maclean, R.I.P.

Morag was an exceptionally fine person, and I am deeply saddened to learn of her death.

DoorDash Delivery Workers Would Need to Toil for Two Days to Buy a Single Share of Their $60 Billion Company

A look at how DoorDash exploits its workers, and how they and some legislators are seeking to change that.

‘95% Effective’ May Not Mean What You Think It Means

A detailed discussion of the headline “95% effective” claim for the about-to-be-released Pfizer and Moderna Covid vaccines.

2:00PM Water Cooler 12/9/2020

~ Today’s Water Cooler ~

Jamie Galbraith: How Jason Furman and Lawrence Summers Reinforce a Destructive, Debunked Mainstream Paradigm to Support Deficit Spending

To defend deficits, Furman and Summers relied on debunked theories, thus preserving destructive mainstream economic ideas.

Links 12/9/2020

Brexit Chaos Was Entirely Predictable Because the World Works on Routine, and Brexit Breaks All the Routine Systems on Which Trade Has Relied

Brexit disruption has started even with a skimpy deal still theoretically possible.

Medicare Blues

Medicare is not looking good.

Why America’s Future Depends on Rebuilding Our Factories

Bringing factories back to the US would have been a good idea 20 years ago. Hard to see how we get there from here now.