The death spiral of home insurance in climate afflicted areas has begun. The will and means to tackle underlying issues are sorely wanting
Monday, September 15, 2025
Fake Papers Are Contaminating the World’s Scientific Literature, Fueling a Corrupt Industry and Slowing Legitimate Lifesaving Medical Research
Why the problem a rising level of bogus scientific papers exists in the first place and is proving difficult to combat.
Richard Wolff: Settler Colonialism – ‘It Ends With Us’ in Palestine and Israel
Richard Wolff shares how his personal experience as well as early research influenced his view of settler colonialism and the Israel project.
Higher Impact of Inflation on Lower Income Households Means US Poverty Is Understated
A new study confirms many reports: inflation in the US markedly degraded the position of middle class households, pushing some into poverty
2:00PM Water Cooler 1/29/2025
~ Today’s Water Cooler: Anti-Trump lawfare begins… but with far, far more solid cases; OMB memo RESCINDED. That was fast!; A defense of slowness ~
The Bogus Justification for AI Uptake and the Real Reason for the Scam
AI, in a significant majority of cases, reduces productivity. And there’s not much reason to expect better any time soon.
From MAHA to MAGA: Can We Get There?
Why MAHA won’t accomplish much even if it gets off the starting block unless the US also addresses inequality. Good luck with that.
How Shareholder Activism Became Toxic—and How to Fix It
How shareholder activism, which once helped check self-serving managements, has become the province of hedge fund extortionists.
Medical Research Depends on Government Money – Even a Day’s Delay in the Intricate Funding Process Throws Science Off-Kilter
NIH funding is a case study of how the Trump wreaking ball will damage medical research and undermine US leadership in medicine.
2:00PM Water Cooler 1/28/2025
~ Today’s Water Cooler: Politics, Syndemics; Trump strategy; Taleb: Tech firms “grey swans”? Ortberg soothes the analysts; Andreessen predicts AI-driven wage crash (and that’s a good thing); “Human Reproduction as Prisoner’s Dilemma” ~
The Planet Had 58 Billion-Dollar Weather Disasters in 2024, The Second-Highest on Record
The world endured three of top-20 costliest disasters in 2024, its fifth-deadliest wildfire, and three heat waves with over 1,000 deaths
After “Gulf of America” Rebranding, Will Trump Admin Set Its Sights on Mexico’s Oil and Gas?
What’s in a simple name change? It seems like potentially quite a lot.
