Wednesday, January 7, 2026
‘Is This About the Oil Industry?’ House Oversight Hearing Explores Big Oil’s Role in Weakening Clean Car Standards
Oil industry lobbies to weaken emissions standards, deploying “public interest groups” that are mere mouthpieces for fossil fuel companies.
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Republic: Part 4 of 4: The Empire as Hegemonic “Banana Republic” Ruled by Caudillos
The finale in a short history of the Roman Republic.
Grab Your Apocalypse Bag — It’s Fire Season in California
Increased fire risk is creating new behaviors in California. May be coming to your area soon….
Phase One of Grenfell Tower Inquiry Released, Towers Not Up to Code, Suggestions for Firefighters
Hot takes on the Phase One Grenfell Towers report, which makes good suggestions for the firefighters and determines that the Towers were not up to code, and what should happen in Phase Two.
For National Cat Day: The Very Latest in Feline Science
What Is The Best Way To Pet a Cat? What Is It With Cats and Boxes? And so forth.
2:00PM Water Cooler 10/30/2019
Today’s Water Cooler: Open thread.
Why the World Will Remember Departing ECB President as the Not-So-‘Super’ Mario Draghi
Looking back at the legacy of the man who created “the most deformed bond market in history.”
The Oil Mystery Undermining An Aramco IPO
Why might investors be skittish about Aramco’s oil reserve claims?
2:00PM Water Cooler 10/29/2019
Today’s Water Cooler: Biden and bankruptcy, Gabbard and RSS, Sanders and Tlaib, bipartisan support on “pay for,” consumer confidence, housing, real estate, Boeing, the 2010s, the ethics of algorithms
Waste Watch: Single Use Plastics, Please Ban Them, Now
Why we need single-use plastics bans: to save us from our worst selves; plus a positive development on the recycling front.
Climate Change: Massachusetts Finally Moves on Climate Change
Massachusetts follows New York in bringing climate change lawsuit against Exxon; litigation is wielded as an alternate form of regulation.
Joe Biden’s Acceptance of Super PAC Shows Campaign’s Desperation
Biden’s acceptance of super PACS shows how desperate his campaign is – and also reveals who pays the piper, calls the tune.
