Author Archives: Yves Smith

Links 10/12/2022

What if Medicine Were Taught Like a Science, Part 2: The Diet-Heart Hypothesis and Cholesterol

How medical research walked back the strong claims for the role of cholesterol in heart disease, which in turn supported the use of statins.

Bank of England Bought Only Small Amounts of Bonds Even Today, Warns Pension Funds They Have “Only Three Days Left” to Unwind Derivatives with BOE Support

The Bank of England has been doing less than believed to rescue the gilts market. But stil not a good look.

Whose Cat Caught the German Tongue? No Blame for Russia After German Train Sabotage on Sunday Morning, No Blame for Nord Stream Sabotage, Yet

Another apparent act of sabotage in Germany, yet the press is peculiarly refusing to play “whodunnit”.

Central Bank Myths Drag Down World Economy

Central bank dogma over inflation is pushing the world economy into recession, with many dire consequences for poorer countries.

Links 10/11/2022

600 Million Metric Tons of Plastic May Fill Oceans by 2036 If We Don’t Act Now

Plastic damage to oceans is getting worse. But do we have adequate remedies, even if we had the will to implement them?

Experts: U.S. LNG Growth Could Slow Next Year

Too many are putting their eggs in the LNG basket.

EU Imposes Secondary Sanctions on Russian Steel in Eighth Sanctions Package. Is Türkiye the Target?

the EU using an obscure steel secondary sanction to whack Türkiye?

Russian Army Turning Out the Lights: US Losing Electricity War in Ukraine

The dire and worsening state of Urkraine’s electricity supply has gone curiously unnoticed by Western commentators.

Links 10/8/2022

Big Agriculture Casts Itself as Climate Champion Ahead of COP27

Critics say the US-led Aim4C coalition will sideline nature-friendly farming in favour of polluting status quo agriculture.

The U.S. Is Preparing Its Response to the “Short-Sighted” Strategy of OPEC+

The US is having a hissy over the OPEC+ production cut. Not a good look.