The Black Death May Not Have Been Spread by Rats After All
A supposedly settled fact, that rats played a huge role in the European bubonic plague outbreak called the Black Death, may be all wrong.
Read more...Author Archives: Yves Smith
Spoils Of The Sanctions War – NATO Lion Meets Russian Tit For Tat
Western officials have talked up their Russian asset seizures. But Russia has reciporcated. It’s not clear which oligarchs are the winners.
Read more...Why China’s Shrinking Population Is a Big Deal – Counting the Social, Economic and Political Costs of an Aging, Smaller Society
Is the press unduly excited about the start of China’s expected demographic decline?
Read more...Twitter and Google Behaving Badly
Examples of Google becoming more obvious about manipulating search results.
Read more...Collapse Revisited: Climate Change and the Development of Middle-Income Countries
Middle income countries are unwilling to put groaf on hold to blunt climate change…and they do have a point given the lack of serious plans
Read more...Oil Prices Rally As Confidence In A Global Economic Rebound Grows
Oil prices have perked up and oil price moves can lead market rallies. Is this a false positive or an early sign?
Read more...Links 1/18/2023
Hannah Arendt, Isaiah Berlin, and the Tenor of Our Time
Hannah Arendt and Isaiah Berlin both struggled with the upheaval of the 20th century. Arendt’s The Human Condition wins the argument.
Read more...Paging Dr. Freud: Schizophrenic Reports on Mood of Davos Man
Unfortunately, it’s prudent to be mindful of what our Davos overlords are plotting. But they seem mighty unsettled.
Read more...Police Violence Reached an All-Time High Last Year—Are We Ready to Shrink Police Budgets?
Police brutality is higher than ever. But solutions are hard to devise.
Read more...Vegetable Oil Is Gaining Traction As A Biofuel
Yet another biofuel touted as possible winner. Is vegetable oil overhyped as an energy source?
Read more...What if Russia Won the Ukraine War but the Western Press Didn’t Notice?
What if the press reaction should Russia succeed in Ukraine is a big Emily Litella “Never mind”?
Read more...Natural Gas Futures in Europe Plunge 15% Today, Down 84% from Crazy Spike
Gas swan dive due to LNG glut in China?
Read more...German General Tells US Generals to Lose the Ukraine War as Soon as Possible to Prevent Losing the Empire in Europe
Former Merkel adviser General Vad has criticized the Ukraine war. Yet it still seems that sympathetic Germans are afraid to speak up.
Read more...Here is the Truth: Medicare Advantage Is Neither Medicare Nor an Advantage
“Medicare Advantage is a money-making scam. I should know. I helped to sell it.”
Read more...