Nudging and soft authoritarianism…
Friday, August 8, 2025
CalPERS to Investigate CFO Charles Asubonten, But Will It Look into Misrepresentations on His Employment Application?
CalPERS has finally accepted that it needs investigate the apparent misrepresentations in recently-hired CFO Charles Asubonten’s resume and Form 700, but will the probe go far enough?
2:00PM Water Cooler 4/20/2018
Today’s Water Cooler: China’s subsidies, NAFTA, Thomas Frank, Holder 2020, Medicare for Some, tote bags, neoliberalism, terms and conditions, 420, the illusion of time
Why the Problem Is Economics, Not Economists
A critique of the monoculture in economics.
EU (Finally) Slaps Down UK on Fantasy Irish Border Solutions
More Brexit bad news, even though the UK should not be surprised.
US Opioid Prescriptions Fall at Record Rate
Some good news on the opioid front is not good enough.
When Criminal Justice and Environmental Justice Collide
Environmental protestors,like other protestors, run the risk of facing jail time. That exposure is heightened by the fact that “out” groups have more reason to be demanding change.
2:00PM Water Cooler 4/19/2018
Today’s Water Cooler: NAFTA and IP, “the wave,” “Medicare for Anyone,” leading indicators, business outlook, driver shortages, Permian basin, Facebook GDPR, hip-hop, brutalism
China Warns Australia Against Being a Democracy
China throws its weight around even more casually than the US does, achieving the difficult task of making Trump look not so bad.
Disruptive Finance Huffing and Puffing Won’t Blow Big Bank Houses Down
Why newfangled finance will not have much impact on the banking industry.
Through the Revolving Door, with a Few Stumbles – Health Care Corporate Executives and Consultants Continue to Become Leaders of Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services
As hard as it may be to believe, health care industry corruption is increasing, as measured by revolving door appointments.
Another Big Retailer Gets Liquidated
Retailers in bankruptcy are notoriously hard to restructure.
2:00PM Water Cooler 4/18/2018
Today’s Water Cooler: China on autos, Sanders on opioids and Cardi B, voter registration, #MeToo, Barbara Bush, architectural billings, infrastructure, Tesla, state taxes for online retail, insects, math
