Sunday, February 8, 2026
Bill Black: Is it Cynical to Believe the System is Corrupt?
Bill Black presents evidence the system is corrupt and rigged against ordinary people – a sentiment with which a new poll shows many agree.
A Question of Character
An indicator that “character” is no longer valued much, and why that matters.
Clever Tactics “Add Oil” to Hong Kong Protests (and not “Hidden Hands”)
A look at protest tactics in Hong Kong: Umbrellas, Lennon Walls, laser pointers, human chains… And maybe catapults?
2:00PM Water Cooler 8/30/2019
Today’s Water Cooler: Biden gaffe, Gabbard, Sanders on foreign policy, Trump, Warren, AOC, anti-fascism, personal income and outlays, consumer confidence, employment situation, robot cars, passive investing bubble, Hurricane Dorian, Joe Rogan, scofflaw coal companies, bail, the hyphen
Marshall Auerback: We Are Clearly Living in a Bizarro Capitalism Era—And It’s Time to Change How the World Manages Economies
Central banks don’t have the tools to address our problems. It will take well-constructed fiscal policy to set right our topsy-turvy economy.
Reminder: DNC Lawyers to Court, “We Do Not Owe Voters an ‘Impartial’ or ‘Evenhanded’ Primary Election”
The DNC is a club and if you are reading this post, you are probably not in it.
A European Perspective on Boeing’s 737 MAX Debacle: An “Existential Crisis” for a National Champion
Four existential threats to Boeing: Adverse court judgments, losing insurance retroactively, new competitors, and the end of today’s regulatory regime.
2:00PM Water Cooler 8/29/2019
Today’s Water Cooler: Google moves phone manufacturing to Vietnam, Sanders, Trump, Warren, CA independents, redistricting, left Straussians, jobless claims, GDP, trade, inventories, shipping wind turbines, fractal microbiomes, Harvard and carbon, neuroscience Ursula LeGuin, Peanuts
Libra: The Known Unknowns and Unknown Unknowns
The article assesses the information as yet made available about Libra, including the implications for its exchangeability, scalability, privacy, and security. It is clear the design of the currency is yet to be finished, and many questions remain about its governance and structure.
Brexit: Focusing the Mind
What does Johnson’s Brexit gambit portend?
The Sacrificial Rites of Capitalism We Don’t Talk About
How capitalism’s dominant narrative, that of self-interested competition, is at odds with other themes, like deferred gratification and sacrifice.
