Author Archives: Yves Smith

The Food War, the Grain Deal, and the Real Deal

The West is trying to use the Ukraine grain deal to stymie Russia…..with ample support from the UN’s Guterres.

As Fewer MDs Practice Rural Primary Care, a Different Type of Doctor Helps Take Up the Slack

Osteopaths are increasingly stepping into the primary care gap produced by MDs who increasingly go into lucrative specialities.

Links 6/6/2023

Catastrophic Breach of Nova Kakhovka Dam Floods Lower Dnieper, Cuts Crimea Water Supplies; Ukraine Attacks in Bakhmut, South Donetsk [Updated]

Those unhappy about the lack of drama in the Ukraine war of late have gotten what they wanted with the breach of the Kakhovka dam

Wall Street Journal Aids Vulture Investors Threatening Second Mortgage Borrowers With Foreclosure….on (Nearly Always) Legally Unenforceable Debt

Mortgage predation is baaack! And the Wall Street Journal aids and abets it by choosing not to undertand the issues.

Insurers Signal Fallout From Sanctions On Russia

UK maritime insurers are daring to speak up about the way they have become Russian sanctions collateral damage.

The Strange Death of the Liberal Individual

Yanis Varoufakis argues that techno-capitalism has fragmented the individual by coopting attention, undermining liberty.

NYC Sheriff Miranda Hawked ‘Gimmick’ COVID Protection Just Before Mayor Adams Hired Him

Anthony Miranda touted the ‘virus buster’ with a convicted racketeer and a Queens business leader embroiled in an Elon Musk-imposter spectacle

A Musical Interlude of Many Instruments

Now for somthing completely different…on the musical front.

Why Washington Underwrites Violence in Ukraine

The ranks of Ukraine and US hegemony believers are starting to thin. But not soon enough.

“Lessons for a Pandemic”

Lessons learned, and not, from a pandemic that isn’t over.

The Grid Needs A $20 Trillion Upgrade To Support Energy Transition

Inadequate grid capacity all over the globe raises doubts about the viability of green energy plans, at least at scale.

Amid Global Debate, UN Plastics Treaty at Risk of Falling Short

The war on plastics has put recycling in its crosshairs.