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Preparing for Infrastructure Failures

While the Ukraine invasion, energy crisis and COVID-19 drive most of our news today, the neglected upkeep of the our infrastructure combined with the ongoing international threats to it should factor into your efforts for greater resilience. And, it’s not just a U.S. problem because many countries throughout the world experience similar issues. In this…

Preparing for Infrastructure Failures

by Samantha Biggers

Deconstructing The Green New Deal

by Chris Martenson

The Green New Deal (GND) is important as a starting point to have a long, long overdue conversation about energy. Specifically: How are we going to eventually transition away from fossil fuels?

As such, the proposal — while (very) far from perfect — should not be ignored and deserves our attention.

It's also important because it represents the sorts of zig-zags our social and political paths are inceasingly likely to take in the coming future as we're forced to face our looming economic, ecological and energy-related predicaments.

Deconstructing The Green New Deal

by Chris Martenson

The Green New Deal (GND) is important as a starting point to have a long, long overdue conversation about energy. Specifically: How are we going to eventually transition away from fossil fuels?

As such, the proposal — while (very) far from perfect — should not be ignored and deserves our attention.

Scott Cahill: Collapse Risk At The Oroville Dam Is Still Unacceptably High

by Adam Taggart

Remember the crisis earlier this year at the Oroville Dam?

The overflow from California's winter of heavy rain threatened to overpower our country's tallest dam. A cascading failure of the dam's main gates, its primarily spillway AND its emergency spillway had the world watching hour by hour to see if a catastrophic breach was going to occur.

Fortunately, the rains stopped long enough for the situation to be brought under control. The dam remains in place and repair crews have been working all spring and summer.

But should we breathe easy at this point? Not at all, says dam safety expert Scott Cahill.

Scott Cahill: Collapse Risk At The Oroville Dam Is Still Unacceptably High

by Adam Taggart

Remember the crisis earlier this year at the Oroville Dam?

Fortunately, the rains stopped long enough for the situation to be brought under control. The dam remains in place and repair crews have been working all spring and summer.

But should we breathe easy at this point? Not at all, says dam safety expert Scott Cahill.

Off The Cuff: Our D-Minus Infrastructure

PREVIEW

by Adam Taggart

In this week's Off The Cuff podcast, Chris and Charles Hugh Smith discuss:

The War Within The Deep State
- Which regime will triumph?
Our Crumbling National Infrastructure
- Can the American empire still afford itself?
How The Oroville Dam Is An Omen
- Systemic collapse always surprised with its swiftness
The Wrong Mindset
- Our leaders aren't incented to care about preserving what we have

Off The Cuff: Our D-Minus Infrastructure

PREVIEW by Adam Taggart

In this week's Off The Cuff podcast, Chris and Charles Hugh Smith discuss:

The War Within The Deep State
- Which regime will triumph?
Our Crumbling National Infrastructure
- Can the American empire still afford itself?
How The Oroville Dam Is An Omen
- Systemic collapse always surprised with its swiftness
The Wrong Mindset
- Our leaders aren't incented to care about preserving what we have

Oroville Dam Threatens To Collapse

by Chris Martenson

This is a running commentary on the rapidly developing Oroville dam situation. Because the story developed so rapidly, there wasn’t time to write a complete report.

I’ll have a tidy summary at some point, but first we have to scour and assemble the information.

Oroville Dam Threatens To Collapse

by Chris Martenson

This is a running commentary on the rapidly developing Oroville dam situation. Because the story developed so rapidly, there wasn’t time to write a complete report.

I’ll have a tidy summary at some point, but first we have to scour and assemble the information.

If We’re Going To Borrow Against The Future, Let’s Borrow To Invest

by Chris Martenson

We are at an important juncture as a global society: either we immediately prioritize a new trajectory focused on creating a positive, functional future or — by continuing the consumptive, extractive, exploitative status quo — we will default into a nasty nightmare.

If We’re Going To Borrow Against The Future, Let’s Borrow To Invest

by Chris Martenson

Michael Pettis: The Future of China

by Adam Taggart

Is China destined to emerge as the dominant superpower that will drive the 21st century to new heights of prosperity? Or instead, might it collapse spectacularly under the weight of its own overinvestment, dragging the global economy down with it in history's largest 'hard landing'?

Few people can see the big picture in China more clearly than Michael Pettis, Beijing-based economic theorist and Professor of Finance at Peking University. Michael sees China's future prosperity tied to its ability to successfully address:

Michael Pettis: The Future of China

by Adam Taggart

The Real Reason the Economy Is Broken (and Will Stay That Way)

by Chris Martenson

We are far enough and deep enough into the most heroic monetary and fiscal efforts ever undertaken to finally ask, why aren't these measures working?

Or at least we should be. Oddly, many in DC, on Wall Street, and the Federal Reserve continue to steadfastly refuse to include anything in their approaches and frameworks other than "more of the same."

So we are treated to an endless parade of news items that seek to convince us that a bottom is in and that we've 'turned the corner' – often on the flimsy basis that in the past things have always gotten better by now.

The Real Reason the Economy Is Broken (and Will Stay That Way)

by Chris Martenson

We are far enough and deep enough into the most heroic monetary and fiscal efforts ever undertaken to finally ask, why aren't these measures working?

Four More Years

PREVIEW

by Chris Martenson

Obama has been re-elected. Given the hyperbole and highly emotional rhetoric of the election, it is hard to imagine that the U.S. is anything but slightly more divided than before, with the gaps and divisions widening more and more as time goes on.

The real tragedy in this story is that virtually none of the really big and important issues were even touched in this election cycle. One party pointed to how much they managed to increase military spending while the other promised to exceed even that. One side said they'd promote even faster drilling and extraction of our dwindling energy reserves and the other promised they could do it even faster. Both said they wanted more growth and more jobs and more, more, more.