~ Today’s Water Cooler ~
Recent Items
Saturday, September 13, 2025
2:00PM Water Cooler 8/14/2020
Topics: Water Cooler
Posted by Lambert Strether at 2:00 pm | 187 Comments »
The A Levels Results Crisis and the Covid Education Train Wreck
Covid-19 is increasing inequality in educational outcomes, and that problem isn’t going away any time soon.
Topics: Banana republic, Guest Post, Income disparity, Pandemic, Politics, Social policy, UK
Posted by Yves Smith at 9:55 am | 48 Comments »
Links 8/14/2020
Topics: Links
Posted by Lambert Strether at 6:58 am | 154 Comments »
Summer Rerun: Journey Into a Libertarian Future: Part I –The Vision
An examination of libertarian thinking, based on the work of one of its strong-form proponents, Hans-Hermann Hoppe.
Topics: Banana republic, Free markets and their discontents, Guest Post, Income disparity, Legal, Politics, Social policy
Posted by Yves Smith at 6:06 am | 37 Comments »
‘Morality Pills’ May Be the US’s Best Shot at Ending the Coronavirus Pandemic, According to One Ethicist
An ethicist seriously suggests forced medication to increase cooperation with pandemic mask-wearing.
Topics: Doomsday scenarios, Guest Post, Health care, Pandemic, Social policy, Social values
Posted by Yves Smith at 4:41 am | 85 Comments »
The Pandemic Has Revealed America’s Zip Code Map of Inequality
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on lower-income communities was decades in the making.
Topics: Free markets and their discontents, Guest Post, Health care, Income disparity, Pandemic, Social policy, The destruction of the middle class
Posted by Yves Smith at 12:45 am | 13 Comments »
2:00PM Water Cooler 8/13/2020
Covid in the US regions ~ California re-opening ~ Biden announces Harris (video) ~ Harris and identity politics ~ Trump ad drops ~ QAnon and its competitors ~ Morse v. College Democrats ~ Unemployment, trade, rail ~ Air and lead pollution ~ r/unemployment ~ Library community gardens
Topics: Guest Post, Water Cooler
Posted by Lambert Strether at 2:00 pm | 173 Comments »
The Bakken Boom Goes Bust With No Money to Clean up the Mess
How the Bakken oil boom, particularly hasty development and transport by rail, was destined to create an environmental hangover…..and no one bothered to prevent it.
Topics: Economic fundamentals, Energy markets, Environment, Free markets and their discontents, Global warming, Guest Post, Moral hazard, Politics, Regulations and regulators
Posted by Jerri-Lynn Scofield at 9:55 am | 19 Comments »
Links 8/13/2020
Topics: Links
Posted by Yves Smith at 6:55 am | 262 Comments »
Mauritius Oil Spill Tragedy
Some photos and commentary from Mauritius, whose oil spill is a major ecological disaser.
Topics: Africa, Doomsday scenarios, Environment
Posted by Yves Smith at 6:51 am | 15 Comments »
CalPERS CEO Marcie Frost Moonlights? Implausibly Denies Relationship With Top Speakers’ Bureau
CalPERS CEO Marcie Frost does not appear to have a good grasp of the conflict-of-interest rules that apply to her role.
Topics: Banana republic, CalPERS, Investment management, Politics, Ridiculously obvious scams
Posted by Yves Smith at 11:15 pm | 30 Comments »
House Democrats Introduce Urgent Bill to End ‘Deliberate Sabotage’ of Postal Service by Postmaster General
Democrats wake up awfully late in the game to the importance of protecting the Post Office from looting, um, privatizing. Are they too late?
Topics: Banana republic, Free markets and their discontents, Guest Post, Pandemic, Politics, Privatization, Ridiculously obvious scams
Posted by Yves Smith at 10:55 pm | 54 Comments »
2:00PM Water Cooler 8/12/2020
~ Today’s Water Cooler ~
Topics: Guest Post, Water Cooler
Posted by Lambert Strether at 2:00 pm | 204 Comments »
Wolf Richter: No, Americans Aren’t Suddenly Flying Again, Despite What the Media Said Today to Boost Stocks of Airlines and Boeing
Americans are eschewing flying in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to carnage in the airlines sector.
Topics: Doomsday scenarios, Guest Post, Pandemic
Posted by Jerri-Lynn Scofield at 9:55 am | 22 Comments »
Links 8/12/2020
Topics: Guest Post, Links
Posted by Jerri-Lynn Scofield at 6:55 am | 280 Comments »