With the arrival of Peak Oil, the curtain has closed on Act 1 of the drama Petroleum Man. What will happen in Act 2? Chekhov said, "If there's a gun on the wall at the beginning of the play, by the end it must go off." In the world's nuclear arsenal are many guns on the wall. If life copies art, will there be an Act 3 in which the players, having learned their lesson the hard way, live sustainably? To explore these and other questions... FTW's Act 2 Blog. Read, comment, take heart! Orkin
Monday, July 31, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
FBI acknowledges it’s actively investigating apparent attempt to hijack a fifth flight on 9/11
Seymour Hersh - OPERA BUFFA IN UKRAINE
US v. Hunter Biden
Pioneering procedure swaps healthy liver to shield transplanted heart
Ukraine shows off a sea drone that can wipe out Russian ships and is 'faster than anything in the Black Sea'
Lost samples from a secret army base reveal that Greenland's ice vanished 416,000 years ago. That means it could melt way faster than expected.
‘I’ve never seen anything like this’: Illegal medical lab discovered in Reedley
Studies show a mysterious health benefit to ice cream. Scientists don’t want to talk about it.
. In a recent interview, the actor and director Justine Bateman said that network notes now request that shows be less engaging so that distracted audiences won’t lose track of the plot and turn them off.
Nefarious Data Collection Masking as Public Art? An A.I. Company Has Placed Mirrored Spheres Around the World in a Massive Eye-Scanning Project
Saturday, July 29, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Federal judge blames Yahoo!News for publishing 9/11 story based on diplomat’s leaked deposition; upholds sanctions on victims’ law firm
Russia's fighter jets have gone from harassing US aircraft to actually breaking them as Moscow flexes its muscles where it still can
Amid continuing hot weather, PJM has extended its Maximum Generation Alert/Load Management Alert through July 28.
Putin promises free grain to six African nations after collapse of Black Sea deal
Spike in dengue cases due to global warming, warns WHO
Forced labour risk is pervasive in the US land-based food supply
In a first, scientists find genetic cause for ‘virgin birth’ in animals
“There are many pest species that are parthenogenetic,” she said, “and there are potentially things that humans could be doing to contribute to this through the use of pesticides or just having very homogeneous crops.”
Scientists woke up a 46,000-year-old roundworm from Siberian permafrost
Pigs open doors to free companions in a possible show of empathy
Ukraine got its hands on North Korean rockets that troops say are wildly unpredictable and 'do crazy things,' and they're lobbing them at the Russians
Friday, July 28, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Like a hot tub: Water temperatures off Florida soar over 100 degrees, stunning experts
Niger soldiers declare coup on national TV
Rich white-collar suspects are spending millions to turn their luxury homes into jails with 24/7 guards — and one has already escaped
Stink or swim! Over HALF of US beaches contain unsafe levels of FECES, 'troubling' report finds - so, how bad is the problem in YOUR area?
Crane on Fire in Midtown Manhattan
Antarctic Sea Ice Hits Once-Per-2.7-Million-Year 'Six Sigma' Event
Entire Whale Pod Dies After Beaching
The Perils of Highly Processed Food
Billions in 9/11 aid has gone unclaimed. Now a new law will compel banks like JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs to alert survivors who worked near Ground Zero
ChatGPT creator pulls AI detection tool due to ‘low rate of accuracy’
Thursday, July 27, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Peak Oil to Begin "in Earnest"
Orange Shortage
U.S.-led West's Putin Sanctions A Hogwash? Russian Oil Fuelling Ukraine's Tanks Amid War | Report
Ukraine's Tank Numbers Now Equal Russia's – Analysis
China removes Qin Gang as foreign minister after month-long absence
In Israel, The Worst May Be Yet to Come
A Cracked Piece of Metal Healed Itself in an Experiment That Stunned Scientists
The war in Ukraine is spurring a revolution in drone warfare using AI
Giuliani concedes making false statements about Georgia election workers
Should Hotel Chains Be Held Liable for Human Trafficking?
Wednesday, July 26, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Scientists accidentally capture metals ‘healing’ themselves
How Jeffrey Epstein Captivated Harvard
Scientists detect sign that a crucial ocean current is near collapse
Obama family's private chef dead after paddle boarding accident at Martha's Vineyard
Albanian Drug Gangs in UK
Daniel Berrigan Collective
Petrified Forest in Calistoga going up for sale: report
Long COVID Persists as a Mass Disabling Event
Russia briefly deployed its super-advanced T-14 tanks to Ukraine, then withdrew them again, state media says
Affirmative action for white people? Legacy college admissions come under renewed scrutiny
Tuesday, July 25, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
The Looming War Against China: Economic Logic Has Been Replaced by National Security Overrides
China removes Qin Gang as foreign minister after month-long absence
DeSantis doubles down on claim that some Blacks benefited from slavery
Morgan Stanley credits Bidenomics for ‘much stronger’ than expected GDP growth
Parliament passes judicial overhaul plan as police clash with protesters
Colombia’s Nickel Reserves: A Blessing and Curse
Russia Withdraws from Black Sea Grain Initiative
AI Robots Admit They'd Run Earth Better Than 'Clouded' Humans
A lawyer used ChatGPT and now has to answer for its ‘bogus’ citations
Russia's not just seeing an exodus of people — it saw a record $239 billion of assets being pulled out last year
Monday, July 24, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
The Case for Organic
Juvenile Crimes - Chapter 10 - Wesley T. Miller
Patrol dogs are terrorizing and mauling prisoners inside the United States
Flies age faster once they’ve seen death
Hundreds of thousands of people fled Russia after it invaded Ukraine — and now the countries that took them in are seeing a boost in their economies
Israel's Netanyahu is hospitalized to receive a pacemaker
Troopers detained a Black man. He exposed their unconstitutional conduct.
Is This the End of Bibi?
G20 countries fail to reach agreement on cutting fossil fuels
Smithsonian literary fest flagged ‘sensitive’ topics before cancellation
Sunday, July 23, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Behind Washington’s Decision to Supply Cluster Bombs to Ukraine
What Happens if Trump Is Elected While on Trial?
The fund-raising race among the 2024 Presidential contenders heats up as the G.O.P. front-runner, former President Donald Trump, braces for a third indictment.
Leaked groundwater containing tritium may have reached Mississippi River in Monticello
A film, websites, and even a Twitter fan account praising Clarence Thomas were all part of a coordinated public relations campaign backed by nonprofit groups tied to a Federalist Society chairman
1 in 5 young people in China can't find a job – and that's a big problem for Xi Jinping
‘Ultimate white privilege guy’ Hunter Biden could be hit with 10 criminal referrals: Comer
This bill would prohibit a state agency and the Legislature from requiring any of its employees, officers, or members to travel to, or approving a request for state-funded or state-sponsored travel to, any state that, after June 26, 2015, has enacted a law that voids or repeals, or has the effect of voiding or repealing, existing state or local protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression or has enacted a law that authorizes or requires discrimination against same-sex couples or their families or on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, as specified, subject to certain exceptions.
In search of lost fruit: the explorers tracking down ancient trees before they are gone forever
'Oppenheimer' fact v. fiction: A nuclear historian breaks down what the movie got right and wrong
Group using ‘shield laws’ to provide abortion care in states that ban it
Aid Access ships medication abortion to all 50 states under the protection provided to clinicians serving patients in banned states
Saturday, July 22, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Rare link between coronavirus vaccines and Long Covid–like illness starts to gain acceptance
U.S. Sending More Warships, Marines to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions With Iran
Is the Gold Standard Coming Back? Doug Casey on the BRICS Gold-Backed Currency
China's Addiction to Coal Deepens in the Heat
Iranian Oil Is Stuck off Coast of Texas, but U.S. Firms Won’t Touch It
Rampant heatwaves threaten food security of entire planet, scientists warn
After hottest day ever, researchers say global heating may mean future of crop failures on land and ‘silent dying’ in the oceans
Russia strikes Odessa amid Black Sea tensions; U.S. warns of plans to attack civilian shipping
The Bear in Your Back Yard
‘Non-human intelligence’: Schumer proposes stunning new UFO legislation
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach: ‘Bobby Kennedy is not in any way an antisemite’
Friday, July 21, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
80 Million People to Experience Heat 105 Degrees or Above this Weekend
Ginni Thomas Under Scrutiny Following Arrest of Michigan Fake Electors
• Mario Vargas Llosa’s shocking rightward turn
A New Lawsuit Alleges That Leonard Leo Called for the Arrest of a Pro-Choice Protester
The court filing claims that the Federalist Society leader, a champion of free speech, urged police to violate the First Amendment rights of a demonstrator near his Maine home.
New Yorkers arrested in 2020 BLM protests poised to get $13M in historic settlement with protesters
Ontario woman goes viral for planting more than 4,500 trees in a day
Tree planters get paid anywhere between 13 and 27 cents per tree, Leslie Dart says. The highest she has been paid was 44 cents per tree in B.C.
I took RFK Jr’s phone call long ago. Now I regret it
RFK Jr.’s Heated Exchanges With Congress Members Over ‘Racist And Antisemitic Comments’
The AI explosion is reaching rural America as tech giants spend billions to turn farms into data centers
New insights into genetic susceptibility of COVID-19: an ACE2 and TMPRSS2 polymorphism analysis
Thursday, July 20, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Middle Eastern Wealth Flows to China
In Central Asia, a hidden pipeline supplies Russia with banned tech
UK Looks To Boost Energy Security With Small Modular Nuclear Reactors
Record 16 PLA warships sailed close to Taiwan in single day, island’s defence ministry says
Eric Schmidt: This is how AI will transform the way science gets done
AI Simulation of South Park
Ukraine begins firing U.S.-provided cluster munitions at Russian forces
‘Disturbing’: 25 types of toxic flame retardant found in US breast milk
‘We are damned fools’: scientist who sounded climate alarm in 80s warns of worse to come
Lioness believed to be on loose in Berlin
Wednesday, July 19, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Former Memphis Homicide Detective Who Criticized Cops Over Tyre Nichols' Death Is Found Dead Outside His Home
The heat index reached 152 degrees in the Middle East — nearly at the limit for human survival
Trump and Allies Forge Plans to Increase Presidential Power in 2025
Texas trooper says they were told to push children into Rio Grande and deny migrants water
Republicans Target Minority Scholarships After Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Ruling
US orders deployment of fighter jets and Navy destroyer to Middle East in response to Iranian activities
ChatGPT showed it could pass a freshman year at Harvard and achieve a 3.34 GPA, student says
US Suspends Wuhan Institute Funds
A dormant California lake that reappeared isn't going anywhere fast
Tulare Lake, which refilled for the first time in 40 years after atmospheric river storms pummeled California , will take at least a year to evaporate entirely, experts said.
They called 911 for help. Police and prosecutors used a new junk science to decide they were liars
Tuesday, July 18, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
U.S. Probes Exxon Contractors In Guyana For Drug Trafficking And Gold Smuggling
Lithium Industry: US Senate Approves Critical Tax Treaty with Chile
Global hunger enters a grim ‘new normal’
John Kerry hails China’s ‘incredible job’ on renewables, warns on coal
Energy firms have made record profits by increasing production of oil and gas, far from their promises of rolling back emissions
Mr. Trump intends to bring independent agencies — like the Federal Communications Commission, which makes and enforces rules for television and internet companies, and the Federal Trade Commission, which enforces various antitrust and other consumer protection rules against businesses — under direct presidential control.
With our food systems on the verge of collapse, it’s the plutocrats v life on Earth
Risks of synchronized low yields are underestimated in climate and crop model projections
A New Approach to M.S. Could Transform Treatment of Other Diseases
A man who runs the web domain for a Russian-allied country says he's been accidentally sent millions of US military emails for 10 years, including sensitive information like a general's travel itinerary
Monday, July 17, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
How a Saudi firm tapped a gusher of water in drought-stricken Arizona
Lax rules let a Saudi-owned company pump water from Arizona state land to grow alfalfa for the kingdom’s cattle.
Link to Lost Generation Video
Drought leaves millions in Uruguay without tap water fit for drinking
After years of underinvestment, reservoir has had to be topped up from estuary, raising health concerns
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggests covid was designed to spare Jews, Chinese people
From Hollywood to Hiroshima: Retracing my father’s cinematic journey by Leslie Sussan:
See how Sweden is planning to create a 'wooden city' with thousands of homes and offices
Transcript of IMF Press Briefing
Lab-Grown Meat Approved for Sale: What You Need to Know
Ambition Struck By the Thunderbolt - Wesley T. Miller
A punishing heat wave hits the West and Southwest U.S.
Historic redlining linked to worse cardiovascular health for veterans
Sunday, July 16, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
World's Largest Nuclear Fusion Rocket Engine Begins Construction
New York’s Public Theater Lays Off 19 Percent of Staff, Citing Reduced Audiences and Rising Costs
Man behind viral wedding dress optical illusion that 'broke the internet' charged with trying to kill wife
Saudi Arabia's Futuristic City
They Lost Their Legs. Doctors and Health Care Giants Profited.
Drought and extreme heat burn through farmers' margin for error — and it's only July
Biden’s DOJ Is Pressuring Journalists to Help Build Its Case Against Assange
State guard set up by DeSantis is being trained as personal militia, veterans say
Veterans resign from force established as civilian disaster relief, citing concerns over ‘militaristic’ training and ‘abuse’
90 degree sea temperatures among 'most worrying signs’ of climate crisis
The Great Hiroshima Cover-Up—And the Greatest Movie Never Made by Greg Mitchell:
Friday, July 14, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket engine explodes during testing
We Can Use Stem Cells to Make Embryos - How Far Should We Go?
Actors are poised to strike, which would effectively shut down Hollywood
With record wildfires, why won’t Canada create a firefighting force?
EU to drop ban of hazardous chemicals after industry pressure
Exclusive: Leaked documents show that as little as 1% of products containing hazardous substances could be prohibited
Russia plans to build dozens of prison camps across Ukraine over the next few years, documents show, hinting Moscow's readying for a long war
Russia To Overtake Saudi Arabia As The Largest OPEC+ Oil Producer
Ticks Can Fly
Painting 2% of Earth White Would Stop Global Warming, Scientist Says
the total land area of the United States is just over 3.5 million square miles, so we'd need to cover the country in white paint from sea to paint-stained sea.
Pesticides from farming leach into world’s waterways at rate of 710 tonnes a year, UN research shows
Safe levels exceeded in 13,000km of rivers globally with ingredients potentially degrading into more persistent substances
Thursday, July 13, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Evidence in Canada lake indicates start of new Anthropocene epoch
A group of scientists say human activity has fundamentally altered the geology, atmosphere and biology of the earth.
What are cluster munitions that Biden is sending to Ukraine?
Book Review: Richard Vague, “The Paradox of Debt”
Chinese hackers breach U.S. government email through Microsoft cloud
At private school, my family’s income sets me apart more than ethnicity
SAG-AFTRA Lays Out Strike Rules: No Shoots, No Press, No Social Media Promos
Farmers Insurance pulls out of Florida, affecting 100,000 policyholders
How America’s push for the atomic bomb spawned enduring radioactive waste problems in St. Louis
Hong Kong will ban seafood imports if Japan releases nuclear water
NGC Certifies the 'Great Kentucky Hoard' of Pre-1865 US Gold Coinage
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Disturbing New Finding Links Cognitive Decline to Dental Hygiene
'Bond King' Bill Gross predicts American consumers will run out of cash later this year, paving the way for a recession
Nazi Symbols on Ukraine’s Front Lines Highlight Thorny Issues of History
Florida ocean temperatures at ‘downright shocking’ levels
Canada has wildfires every year. Why won’t it create a firefighting force?
Polynesians steering by the stars met Native Americans long before Europeans arrived
Heat Down Below Is Making the Ground Shift Under Chicago
Prime Minister increases support for key NATO presence
First French Long-range Missiles Already In Ukraine
Henry Kissinger Pranked Into Thinking He's Speaking Privately With Zelensky
Monday, July 10, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
An Iowa meteorologist started talking about climate change on newscasts. Then came the harassment
What banks do with your money
As Afghan schools remain closed for girls, mental health crisis builds
Dr. Miriam Grossman Re Dangers of Trans Treatment
Russia suffering 400 casualties a day, half of deaths preventable
41 Countries Ready To Accept BRICS Currency a Month Before Summit
At the moment, a few corporations seem en route to a bonanza for which they have no legitimate claim, while the rest of humanity will obtain nothing. The commons belong to us all!
Underwater view of the bottom of the sea, with the surface showing too and the sky
Is it too late to halt deep-sea mining? Meet the activists trying to save the seabed
Read more
The trouble is compounded by the fact that the ISA is unfit for purpose. It has a wretchedly small annual regular budget of just $10m, to regulate the world’s deep sea. To supplement its budget, it charges corporations $500,000 for licences to do exploratory mining. Unsurprisingly, it has not refused any application, and currently 31 such licences have been issued for nearly 1.5m sq km of “exploration”. Five of these are held by China.
Google Quantum Computer Is '47 Years' Faster Than #1 Supercomputer
Condi Rice: Here's Your 9/11 Smoking Gun - Kristen Breitweiser - archive
“Madness of Militarism”: Biden OKs Cluster Bombs for Ukraine Despite Risk of Civilian Casualties
Sunday, July 09, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
France Passes Bill Allowing Police to Spy on People Remotely
63 cruise ships owned by Carnival Corporation released more toxic sulfur gasses than all the cars in Europe, study says
'Double agents’: fossil-fuel lobbyists work for US groups trying to fight climate crisis
Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ taint nearly half of U.S. tap water, study estimates
Grey whales seen seeking human help to remove parasites
The Olive Oil Scam: If 80% Is Fake, Why Do You Keep Buying It?
Norway's new phosphate deposits are so massive they could guarantee solar power and electric cars keep running for the next 50 years
Wesley T. Miller: Juvenile Crimes
Degrowth is Good Economics
An ecological economist explains why the hype around green growth is scientifically unfounded.
Render Unto the Machine
Thursday, July 06, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Iran tried to seize 2 oil tankers near Strait of Hormuz and fired shots at one of them, US Navy says
CIA calls Russian war in Ukraine a prime opportunity for recruiting spies
Although great care has been taken to maintain the accuracy of information contained in this report, neither the IAEA nor its Member States assume any responsibility for consequences which may arise from its use.
Climate change: World's hottest day since records began
Climate Savior or ‘Monsanto of the Sea’?
Eight Central Banks Increased Gold Holdings in May
Florida schools remove books by John Milton and Toni Morrison and restrict Shakespeare under DeSantis rules
Why a sudden surge of broken heat records is scaring scientists
Reeling Arctic glaciers are leaving bubbling methane in their wake, scientists warn
It doesn't matter that there was a fake detail in the case the Supreme Court used to roll back LGBTQ+ rights, experts say
Wednesday, July 05, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Ron DeSantis' Campaign Is in Deep Trouble
The failed Wagner coup shows Vladimir Putin’s regime remains stubbornly strong
The International Monetary Fund said on Friday that Argentina is current in its payment obligations, after the government said it made a $2.7 billion payment to the fund using its existing stock of the IMF's reserve assets, and Chinese currency.
Why the US ‘does not get to assume that it lasts forever’
Wildfires are bad for air quality. Fireworks can make the smoke worse.
The GOP has a glaring Mormon problem
Biden nominates controversial former Trump-appointee to Public Diplomacy Commission
America has Just Destroyed a Great Empire
China will restrict the exports of gallium and germanium — metals vital to chipmaking — from August 1.
Judge Orders Biden Officials to Limit Contact With Social-Media Companies
Ruling says Biden administration policing of social media likely violated First Amendment
Secret Service investigating suspected cocaine found inside White House complex
Monday, July 03, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
The Wagner 'Coup' Was Staged by Putin—and the West Fell for It | Opinion
Long-term consequences of benzodiazepine-induced neurological dysfunction: A survey
Wesley T. Miller - Juvenile Crimes
The king of dark money effectively controls the US supreme court now
James Risen’s New Book on the Church Committee, CIA Assassination Attempts & Intel Oversight Today
Royal estate linked to many deaths and disappearances of protected birds
Argentina's currency crisis is so dire that it's allowing people to open bank accounts using the Chinese yuan
Passengers on board the Titan submersible were classified as 'mission specialists' not 'passengers' to avoid legal jeopardy if they died, says report
CONGRESSIONALLY MANDATED RESEARCH PLAN AND AN INITIAL RESEARCH GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK RELATED TO SOLAR RADIATION MODIFICATION
PRIGOZHIN’S FOLLY
The Russian ‘revolt’ that wasn’t strengthens Putin’s hand
SEYMOUR HERSH
Saturday, July 01, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Chinese Balloon Used American Tech to Spy on Americans
Hinton also expressed concern that AI would deepen inequality, with the massive productivity gain from its deployment going to the benefit of the rich and not workers.
Jan. 6 participant, identified nearly two years ago, is arrested near Obama home
The Mystery of Crime-Scene Dust
TB vaccine candidate to enter final trial, raising hopes of saving millions
JFKMLKRFK
Ways You Can Still Cancel Your Federal Student Loan Debt
What to know about malaria after rare cases are found in Florida, Texas
Money Supply Growth Falls to Depression-Era Levels for Second Month in April
Special Report: A son died, his parents tried to sue. How U.S. courts protect Big Pharma
New report finds most US kale samples contain ‘disturbing’ levels of ‘forever chemicals’