Louis DeJoy quit as US postmaster general recently, so the plan to privatize the US Postal Service may be hiatus for now. But the Trump Administration is blowing up international mail as well: “Postal services around Europe announced on Saturday that they are suspending the shipment of many packages to the United States amid a […]
Years ago, my chairman became an NFT enthusiast. At one point, he assured me “I’m not joking.” I responded: “That’s what I’m afraid of.” NFTs are a manifestation of The Greater Fool Theory of Investing. Like disco and yacht rock, they had their day. But eventually, the fools are left holding the bag: “Flash forward […]
Just read that Rhode Island public radio and public broadcasting will have to downsize, but are far from out of business. That looks to be the case for many blue states and blue cities in red states. You know who will be hurt? Trump voters in rural parts of red states. And not because they […]
For decades, the American right has prophesized (a) the takeover of America by socialism/communism and (b) hyperinflation due to US debt. Neither has happened yet. America is as firmly as ever in the grip of plutocratic capitalist oligarchs, and while the GOP-fueled national debt is skyrocketing at their behest, US treasuries are still selling. So […]
Since the secretary of HHS is a vaccine denialist who cannot be trusted, the American Academy of Pediatrics has this week published its own authoritative, comprehensive, science-based vaccine schedule for children and adolescents from birth to age 18. The link provides: – the schedule for routine immunizations from birth to 18 years of age; – […]
A Cybertruck passed us this morning on the way back from the south shore of Rhode Island. My wife remarked that it looked like a rolling dumpster. I’ve certainly never understood the appeal. Apparently, my aesthetic is shared. “Once one of the world’s most-hyped vehicles, sales and production numbers for Tesla’s Cybertruck have fallen sharply. […]
Years ago, I was invited to give a talk at Arizona State University in Tempe. My host told me to fly in early in the day, so he could take me walking in the desert. I’d never seen anything like it: mostly cactus and rocks. Seemed like Middle Earth. Since then, we’ve vacationed in Arizona […]
When my mom was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, she was given a chemotherapy that had proven so effective at the time that they couldn’t predict how much longer it would extend her life since not enough people had died yet. Progress in the war on cancer in the last 20 years has been amazing. Innovations […]
32 economists associated with the University of Chicago at some point in their careers were awarded the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, which is often referred to as the Nobel Prize in Economics. With all that expertise, you’d assume that the University of Chicago would be a paragon of […]
Exhibit A. The emperor grovels for the Nobel Prize (per The Guardian): “Donald Trump cold-called Norway’s finance minister last month to ask about a nomination for the Nobel peace prize, Norwegian press reported on Thursday.” Exhibit B. Bondi levies felony charges for a guy who threw a sandwich at a federal agent. So the law-and-order […]