Friday, October 3, 2025

2:00PM Water Cooler 3/12/2019

By Lambert Strether of Corrente. Readers, this is a little top-heavy on politics, but I really had to do a pantry clearout! –lambert Politics “But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature?” –James Madison, Federalist 51 “They had one weapon left and both knew it: treachery.” –Frank Herbert, Dune […]

What’s New About Fake News?

Musing on why the level of crude propagandizing known as fake news has gotten worse.

Links 3/12/19

Money, Digital Cash and Cryptocurrencies: Privacy Matters

Using laboratory experiments, the column shows that privacy matters, and increases the overall appeal of money.

JJ Jelincic: CalPERS’ Plan to Create 2 New Private Equity Companies, Give Away Billions With No Control Makes No Sense….Except to Make Fund Managers Rich

CalPERS still can’t justify its new private equity business model, and has even retreated to calling it just a concept, yet it wants the board to sign a blank check at next week’s meeting.

Bill Black: MMT Takes Center Stage – and Orthodox Economists Freak

On the remarkable surge of interest in and attacks against MMT by mainstream economists and pundits.

Boeing Crapification: Second 737 Max Plane Within Five Months Crashes Just After Takeoff

Another Boeing 737 aircraft crashed minutes after takeoff in Addis Ababa yesterday, killing all 157 passengers on board, in circumstances similar to last October’s Lion Air crash in Indonesia. Consequences for Boeing depend on what the just-recovered voice and data recorders reveal.

2:00PM Water Cooler 3/11/2019

Today’s Water Cooler: China trade, Biden, Gillibrand, Harris, Sanders, resistance grifters, retail sales, business inventories, leading indicators, Facebook, Boeing, investors and deforestation, wetland carbon storage, sea level rise, animal traction, grievances, emojis, browser tabs

Links 3/11/19

The 2020 Democrats of the ‘Anti-Green New Deal Coalition’

The Green New Deal proposal has exposed widening rifts within the Democratic Party as presidential candidates begin fleshing out their 2020 platforms.

Medicare for All (the Perplexed)

A French lesson on Medicare for All.

Is a War With Iran on the Horizon?

Why the US might be dumb enough to start a hot war with Iran.

India Bans Plastics Waste Imports, While Fossil Fuel Plastics Pushers in US and China Ramp Up to Party On

Kudos to India for banning plastics waste imports, to focus on solving its own waste management problem. Meanwhile, fossil fuel interests ramp up plans to produce more plastics.

Links 3/10/19

Bill Black Analyzes Brad DeLong’s Stunning Concession: Neoliberals Should Pass the Baton and Let the Left Lead

Bill Black analyzes Brad DeLong’s concession that neoliberals should get out of the way and let the left lead since their coalition with Republicans did not work.