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
Thursday, August 31, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Kim Jong Un says nuclear weapons to be deployed to navy as U.S., allies start new drills
Three-quarters of the public think Joe Biden is too old to serve another term, including 69% of Democrats.
America Is Using Up Its Groundwater Like There’s No Tomorrow
Faster trains to begin carrying passengers as Amtrak’s monopoly falls
A crackdown on ‘woke’ coverage is tearing Atlanta magazine apart
An FBI source, a Burisma deal, the Bidens and details that don’t match up
Gabon army claims overthrow of 56-year-old political dynasty after election
If AI Has Become Conscious, Here's How We Can Tell
Exclusive: Smuggler with ties to ISIS helped migrants enter US from Mexico, raising alarm bells across government
White House warns Russia, North Korea weapons negotiations are ‘actively advancing’
Wednesday, August 30, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Libya’s Foreign Minister Najla al-Mangoush dismissed: Sources
U.S. Knew Saudis Were Killing African Migrants
'Wildly hot' waters in the Gulf of Mexico could fuel Hurricane Idalia's rapid intensification
A deadly tick-borne epidemic is raging.
Racial diversity surged at Johns Hopkins in the last decade. Will it last?
The Case for Negotiating with Russia
The Doomsday Prepper's Daughter
Mass Shootings Will Keep Spiraling Upward without Big Changes in Gun Laws
Largest Bat-cave discovered
Toyota stops operations at 13 plants due to system failure
Tuesday, August 29, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
The ‘weird’ male Y chromosome has finally been fully sequenced. Can we now understand how it works, and how it evolved
Domestic Politics, Global Repercussions: India’s Curb on Rice Exports
Between Durra and Arash: One Disputed Gas Field, Two Names
It Took Just One Wolf to Revive An Entire Forest Ecosystem
Fountains of diamonds erupt from Earth's center as supercontinents break up
A Washington Post analysis found that the chatbot will draft political messages tailored for demographic groups, like suburban women or rural men
The Judge Who Escaped: ‘We Lost All of Our Achievement’
Since the Taliban's return to power, women judges – who once dared to sentence men for their crimes – have been forced into hiding. We spoke to one whose identity we are protecting.
How a Man in Prison Stole Millions from Billionaires
How Gene-Edited Insects Are Providing Food, Fuel and Waste Disposal
How to get ChatGPT to write you a killer cover letter that doesn't sound like it was AI-generated: step-by-step guide with exact prompts
Monday, August 28, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Lawyer Makes Alarming Statement About Why Trump Didn't Release All JFK Files: 'Suddenly He Became Afraid'
Native Hawaiians Are Resisting Land and Water Grabs After Maui Wildfires
How the Banana Came To Be—And How It Could Disappear
5,000 pilots suspected of hiding major health issues. Most are still flying.
How a Christie’s website revealed where people kept their art
Juvenile Crimes - Chapter 12 (part 1 of 2)
Striving For Success, Destined for Disappointment - Wesley T. Miller
New dawn for Arctic’s first people: the Inuit plan to reclaim their sea
Biden alcohol czar says US may follow Canada, limit beers to two a week: 'what a joke'
Multi-level analysis of the gut–brain axis shows autism spectrum disorder-associated molecular and microbial profiles
Hillbillies in Higher Ed – Confronting Anti-Rural Bias in Academia
Sunday, August 27, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Vivek Ramaswamy Is Not the Next Trump
“What folks in the wildfire business call the zone zero or the ember ignition zone, is kind of a key factor in whether homes do or do not burn down,” Wara said.
Having nothing combustible in the 5 feet directly around a house is enormously important.
• “Climate havens” are areas touted by researchers, public officials and city planners as natural refuges from extreme climate conditions, and include the Great Lakes region, upper Midwest and upper Northeast. But these regions will not be immune to the severe impacts of climate change, write Julie Arbit, Brad Bottoms and Earl Lewis, all researchers at the Center for Social Solutions at the University of Michigan. On the contrary, cities in these locations will have to contend with some of the most extreme temperature and rainfall events to come, they say.
AI scores in the top percentile of creative thinking
A mystery company backed by Silicon Valley billionaires has purchased tens of thousands of acres of land for more than $800 million to build a new city near San Francisco
THE AIRLINE PILOT SHORTAGE WILL GET WORSE
How a small-town feud in Kansas sent a shock through American journalism
Doug Casey on the Battle for Strategic Resources in Africa
Yale Students Got a Terrifying Message. From the Campus Police.
8 Alabama death row inmates ask to be executed by nitrogen gas
Friday, August 25, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are among 6 nations set to join China and Russia in BRICS economic bloc
US approves $12 bn Apache helicopter sale to Poland
Huawei accused of building secret microchip factories to beat US sanctions
Ex-cop is identified in mass shooting that left him, 3 others dead at O.C. biker bar, sources say
Scientists drill into Greenland rocks on unprecedented mission to gauge future melting
Latest on the Crash
Prigozhin was thought to have died in a 2019 plane crash, only to reappear days later. This time, there's more evidence he's dead.
In deadly Maui fires, many had no warning and no way out. Those who dodged a barricade survived
Trump-admiring libertarian’s surprise primary win upends Argentina
Loyal Source’s quality of care and staffing have been under scrutiny since the May 17 death of Anadith Danay Reyes Alvarez, who was infected with the flu while in CBP custody after crossing the Rio Grande into South Texas with her family. As the child’s symptoms worsened and her mother pleaded for urgent care, medical staff did not call a doctor and mishandled files showing Reyes Alvarez had a heart condition and sickle cell disease, according to a CBP timeline.
Thursday, August 24, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin feared dead after Russia plane crash
India lands spacecraft near south pole of moon in world first
How solar farms took over the California desert: ‘An oasis has become a dead sea’
Residents feel trapped and choked by dust, while experts warn environmental damage is ‘solving one problem by creating others’
See Rudy Giuliani's mug shot after the embattled Trump ally turned himself in at Fulton County Jail
Why the ‘Sleeping Beauty Problem’ Is Keeping Mathematicians Awake
The key to depression, obesity, alcoholism – and more? Why the vagus nerve is so exciting to scientists
This songbird’s genes may show how climate change has sped up evolution
Tucker Carlson and Donald Trump reunite to try to upstage Fox News
Justice Dept. brings wave of cases over $836 million in alleged covid fraud
The Constitutional Case for Barring Trump from the Presidency
Does the Fourteenth Amendment empower state election officials to remove him from the ballot?
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
‘Disaster capitalism at its finest’: Fights over water amid west Maui’s charred ruins ignite new fears
New study warns against risks of ‘time-traveling pathogens’
Former J.P. Morgan Precious Metals Traders Sentenced to Prison
Ann Pettifor Explains Why Neoclassical Economists Are the Last People To Listen to on Climate Change
Elon Musk’s Shadow Rule
3 dead after drinking milkshakes tied to a listeria outbreak in Washington state
San Francisco Archdiocese files for bankruptcy as it faces more than 500 sexual abuse lawsuits
The Need to GROW
A Chinese spy used fake LinkedIn profiles to target officials to hand over secrets, report says
Biden’s decision to send the munitions — a choice he described as “difficult” — bypassed a U.S. law prohibiting the transfer of cluster munitions with a dud rate of more than 1 percent.
Tuesday, August 22, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
State lawmakers move to ban Chinese land ownership
U.S. tells Americans to leave Belarus immediately
The richest Americans account for 40 percent of U.S. climate emissions
Is Beekeeping Wrong?
With his inexperience on the mountain and lack of proper equipment, it's unclear why Mohammad was sent up to assist the rope-fixing team at an altitude of over 8,000 meters.
Being a rope fixer is the hardest job on the mountain, veteran climbers like Friere said.
Over 40 countries sick and tired of the Western-led world order are clamoring to join a group where China and Russia are members
There’s more coal being shipped by sea than ever before
Growing share of Americans favor more nuclear power
EPA plans to disband board studying wastewater discharge in Mass. Bay
In Wuhan, doctors knew the truth. They were told to keep quiet.
Monday, August 21, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Radioactive snakes may monitor Fukushima fallout
Medicine without doctors? State laws are changing who treats patients.
Juvenile Crimes - Chapter 11 - Achieving My Destiny WESLEY T. MILLER
The beheading of tech CEO Fahim Saleh, and the tiny clue that may clinch the case against his personal assistant
UK population collapse ‘good for the planet’ as number of newborns hits 20-year low
EPA: PFAS drinking water crisis worse than previously reported
Water utility data submitted to the agency shows hundreds of new detections of “forever chemicals” in water.
New York is building the world’s tallest jail in Chinatown. Can anyone stop it?
Ecuador votes to halt oil drilling in Amazonian biodiversity hotspot
Referendum result comes as blow to president, requiring state oil firm to dismantle operations area of YasunĂ
Ally of former leftist Ecuador president to face tycoon’s son in runoff election
Luisa González, who has pledged to revive Rafael Correa’s social programmes, to run against Daniel Noboa in October
‘Orphaned by decree’: Italy’s same-sex parents react to losing their rights
Sunday, August 20, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
British Columbia declares state of emergency amid ‘devastating’ wildfires
Natural gas fracking in Pa. linked to asthma, childhood lymphoma, research finds
Robo-Taxis Are Legal Now
Fani Wallis’s Indictment of Donald Trump and a Voting-System Breach
Palm oil: How elephants, orang-utans and other wild animals are dying because of factory farming
Gov. Ron DeSantis angers Trump supporters suggesting they are 'listless vessels' – echoes Clinton's 'deplorables' jab, they say
Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft crashes into the moon, ending its bid to reach the lunar south pole
August 2023 National Poll: DeSantis Fades Into Tie with Ramaswamy; Trump Maintains Majority of GOP Support Ahead of Debate
Zelenskyy says Ukraine is working with Sweden to produce 'cool vehicles' like CV90s: 'Just what is needed at the front'
Russia's attempt to land on the moon for the first time in almost half a century ended in disaster
Saturday, August 19, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Economics Tamed the Weather. Now the Weather Strikes Back.
As extreme conditions grow more frequent, threat mounts to growth and inflation, especially in poor countries
Yellowknife begins evacuation as wildfires approach
Kansas City has over 100 high-fee crypto ATMs, mostly in low-income neighborhoods
A presidential candidate was assassinated. His rivals are trying to stay alive.
Adams wants to rezone 42 Midtown blocks, boost housing citywide
It’s Bloodsicle Time
A Dallas zoologist describes what it’s like to make massive, bloody ice pops for lions and tigers in the sweltering summer heat.
Russian soldiers are fighting Ukraine high on amphetamines, a report claims. The Nazis did it first.
Germany walks back plan to meet NATO spending target on annual basis
In this cohort study of 562 145 people with early-onset cancer in the US from 2010 to 2019, the incidence rates of early-onset cancers increased substantially over the study period. Gastrointestinal cancers had the fastest-growing incidence rates among all early-onset cancers.
China rehearses invasion of Taiwan with troops storming 'sea defences' in chilling wargames - while Beijing and Russia stage joint naval exercises in the Pacific
Friday, August 18, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
An Invasive Hornet Species Is Spotted in the U.S. for the First Time
Study shows that 60% of teens between ages 13-17 agreed with four or more conspiracy statements compared with 49% of adults
Two years on from Taliban takeover, Afghan women are being ‘erased from everything’
Long COVID is devastating and far from rare. As infections rise again, why are we still ignoring it?
Someone With Money Needs to Step Up to Save ProMED
Thousands of Tarantulas to roam across San Diego
The Planet Is Only Getting Hotter
A driverless car in San Francisco drove right into wet concrete and got stuck after seemingly mistaking it for a regular road: 'It ain't got a brain'
Captagon: the drug fuelling the Gulf party scene - and Syria's finances
Report to Congress on A Written Strategy to Disrupt and Dismantle Narcotics Production and Trafficking and Affiliated Networks Linked to the Regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria Sec. 1238(c) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, P.L. 117-263
Thursday, August 17, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Maui fire survivors describe nighttime looting and rerouted supply drops as they say local leadership botches emergency response
These Women Tried to Warn Us About AI
China appears to be building an airstrip on a disputed South China Sea island
Christine Quinn might not be done with elected office
Synagogues in 12 States Targeted in Hoax Calls to Police
Scientists grow plants in real lunar soil for the first time - 2022
Pakistani militants attack convoy of Chinese engineers
Over 40% of Japanese women born in 2005 could end up childless
How the Taliban launched the ‘most successful counter-narcotics effort in human history’
Pennsylvanians near active nuclear plants can receive free potassium iodide
Wednesday, August 16, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
The desperate race to create a protection zone around the rapidly melting Arctic
Heat deaths surge in the US’s hottest city as governor declares statewide ‘heat emergency’
Majority of Israelis Pessimistic About Future of Democracy, IDI Poll Shows
Russia’s central bank raises interest rates to 12% after the ruble plunges
Twenty-four drugs (65%) were approved based on a single study.
Russia May Have Earned $1.2 Billion By Exploiting Oil Price Cap Loophole
The Race to Save the World’s DNA
Miracle Plant Used in Ancient Greece Rediscovered After 2,000 Years
Hackers could now steal passwords over Zoom by listening to keystrokes using AI — and they'll be right 93% of the time, study says
This region fueled India’s population boom. Now it’s in danger.
Monday, August 14, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Texas questions rights of a fetus after a prison guard who had a stillborn baby sues
Lawmaker calls for crackdown on neo-Nazi training camp in northern Maine
Private flights pollute up to 14 times more than commercial ones – yet are taxed less. Let’s change that
COVID and the Heart: It Spares No One
Wesley T. Miller - Juvenile Crimes - Chapter 11
Maui fire survivors describe nighttime looting and rerouted supply drops as local leadership botches emergency response
Massachusetts passed a 4% millionaire's tax last year. Now every public school student is going to get free lunch.
How the Taliban launched the ‘most successful counter-narcotics effort in human history’
Where Mobile Homes Sell for Millions
Detainees and advocates decry 'horrific' conditions at Louisiana ICE detention center
Sunday, August 13, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
More young Americans are dying – and it's not COVID. Why aren't we searching for answers?
Without a thorough and collaborative exploration, we can't know what's killing us – or how to stop it.
Oil Consumption Reaches 103 Million BPD for First Time
How Climate Change Turned Lush Hawaii Into a Tinderbox
Declining rainfall, rising temperatures and invasive species have left the islands more susceptible to wildfires.
300,000-year-old skull found in China unlike any early human seen before
Supermarket AI meal planner app suggests recipe that would create chlorine gas
The toughest plastic bag ban is failing: A tale of smugglers, dumps and dying goats
Can “Cop City” Be Stopped at the Ballot Box?
More than 1m acres of Indigenous land flooded by dams, new study finds
Fukushima fish with 180 times legal limit of radioactive cesium fuels water release fears
China’s Economic Miracle Is Turning Into a Long Slog
‘Halliburton Loophole’ Allows Fracking Companies to Avoid Chemical Regulation
New research finds fracking-industry exemption for 28 chemicals otherwise regulated by federal law.
Saturday, August 12, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Compared with 3 or fewer sugar-sweetened beverages per month, consuming 1 or more sugar-sweetened beverages per day was associated with a significantly higher incidence of liver cancer and death from chronic liver diseases.
Global heating likely to hit world food supply before 1.5C, says UN expert
Water scarcity threatening agriculture faster than expected, warns Cop15 desertification president
RFK Jr. says he is 'traditional Kennedy Democrat,' won't join Trump ticket
Israeli study finds biological treatment effective for lung cancer
COVID-19 vaccination and leprosy–A UK hospital-based retrospective cohort study
Man accused of threatening Biden shot and killed in FBI raid in Utah
The Insidious Faux-Feminism of Barbie
California judge who’s charged with murder texted court staff that he shot his wife, prosecutors say
China’s Imports Of Saudi Oil Set To Soar Despite Production Cuts
Worker in China suspected of spying for CIA
Thursday, August 10, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Long-term surface impact of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai-like stratospheric water vapor injection
U.S. closes Haiti embassy amid "rapid gunfire" after Haitians march to demand security
Scientists achieve world-changing nuclear fusion breakthrough — twice
Ohio Voters Reject Constitutional Change Intended to Thwart Abortion Amendment
AI KNOWS WHAT YOU’RE TYPING JUST BY HEARING IT OVER A ZOOM
What’s killing Florida’s coral reefs — and why you should care
Feinstein taken to hospital after fall at home, office says
between 2022 and 2023, there has been more reported shark bites in New York than in the previous 186 years.
Could the curse of Tutankhamun’s tomb be caused by fungi?
Teenage cousin of Uvalde school shooter is arrested, accused of threatening to ‘do the same thing’ to a school
Wednesday, August 09, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
UK may try to send small boat arrivals to Ascension Island, minister confirms
Humans can detect deepfake speech only 73% of the time, study finds
Philippines summons Chinese ambassador over water cannon incident in disputed South China Sea
Iran Launches Surprise Drills in Persian Gulf
Niger’s junta isn’t backing down, and a regional force prepares to intervene. Here’s what to expect
Critics Rip Private Equity Firm's Deal to Buy Simon & Schuster as 'Dark Day for Publishing'
What to know about EG.5, the most prevalent covid subvariant in the U.S.
The beach town that could help decide the future of wind power on the East Coast
Paramount Agrees to Sell Simon & Schuster to KKR, a Private Equity Firm
Russia accuses Ukraine of orchestrating a phone scam scheme to trick elderly Russians into setting military recruitment offices on fire amid string of arson attacks
Tuesday, August 08, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
What ‘Oppenheimer’ Doesn’t Tell You About the Trinity Test
EPA Approved a Fuel Ingredient Even Though It Could Cause Cancer in Virtually Every Person Exposed Over a Lifetime
It’s winter in Antarctica, but scientists just grew watermelons there
Woman arrested in plot to kill Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
Record glacial flooding swept away two homes in Alaska’s capital
Signs You’re Being Tracked By 3-Letter Agencies
Lithium Industry: US Senate Approves Critical Tax Treaty with Chile
Between Durra and Arash: One Disputed Gas Field, Two Names
GERD Conflict: Ethiopia & Egypt Try Compromise
Japan to start Fukushima water release within weeks – report
Meet the purple flower that thrives after wildfire — fireweed
Monday, August 07, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Texas judge temporarily lifts abortion ban for complicated pregnancies
Imran Khan Sentenced to Prison
Juvenile Crimes - Chapter 11 - Wesley T. Miller
Jim Crow-era lifetime ban on felons voting is unconstitutional, court rules
It’s winter in Antarctica, but scientists just grew watermelons there
Central Bank Gold Demand in First Half of 2023 Was the Highest on Record
Our Oil Predicament Explained: Heavy Oil and the Diesel Fuel it Provides Are Key
NYC COVID Cases Jump 125% In July As Experts Warn Of Summer Surge
Winter heatwave in Andes is sign of things to come, scientists warn
John Bolton suggests US will leave Nato if ‘erratic’ Trump wins in 2024
Saturday, August 05, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Big Pharma's big tax dodge
Plans to House Migrants Met With Outrage
Russian Strike Damaged 40,000 Tonnes Of Grain: Kyiv
World's First X-Ray Of A Single Atom Achieved
Research to merge human brain cells with AI secures national defence funding
Two California Sailors Arrested on Espionage Charges
The remote work revolution is officially dead: Zoom just told employees to return to the office.
'Oppenheimer' leaves out New Mexicans exposed to radiation from the Manhattan Project, despite local efforts to contact filmmakers
It’s midwinter, but it’s over 100 degrees in South America
Heaviest rainfall in 140 years drenches Beijing while Typhoon Khanun hits Japan’s Okinawa
Thursday, August 03, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
JPMorgan moved $1.1 million from Jeffrey Epstein to ‘women or girls’ after terminating client relationship, U.S. Virgin Islands alleges
CVS to Shed 5,000 Jobs in Cost-Cutting Push
Dangerous fungus is becoming more prevalent. Scientists believe climate change could be to blame
What to know about the six co-conspirators in Trump’s indictment
Inside the online world of people who think they can change their race
Ukrainian troops are abandoning US tactics in their counteroffensive because they haven't worked
The four Jan. 6 charges against Trump and what they mean
Billionaire investor threatens to pull out of UK amid global outcry at new oil rush
AI Loses Its Mind After Being Trained on AI-Generated Data
Newly Discovered T-Cells Could Rid Late-Stage Cancer Patients of Tumors
Wednesday, August 02, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
He used to be China's Jeff Bezos. 3 years after provoking the wrath of Beijing, Jack Ma has turned to farming.
He said that the "hypothetical withdrawal" of Russian tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus would "only be possible if the United States and NATO abandon their destructive course of purposefully undermining the security of Russia and Belarus."
"This implies the complete withdrawal of all U.S. nuclear weapons to US territory and the elimination of the corresponding infrastructure in Europe," added Polischuk, director of the foreign ministry's department of CIS (ex-Soviet) countries.
Desertification: An Existential Crisis For Iran
Poland says two Belarusian helicopters violated its airspace, adding to tensions
Exxon Mobil in talks with Tesla, Ford to supply lithium, Bloomberg Law reports
In annual surveys over the last three years, roughly one-quarter of high school seniors self-identified as conservative or “very conservative” on the Monitoring the Future survey, a scholarly endeavor that dates to the 1970s. Only 13 percent of boys identified as liberal or very liberal in those years.
Niger junta accuses ousted government of authorising French military attack
Phoenix just posted the hottest month ever observed in a U.S. city
Dolphins learn the ‘names' of their friends to form teams—a first in animal kingdom
China Export Controls Highlight Importance of Western Rare Earth Projects
Tuesday, August 01, 2023
From Jenna Orkin
Putin is forming mysterious private armies across Russia to protect himself from Wagner soldiers, report says
Italy just slammed China's trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, saying it was an 'atrocious' decision to join and that it's barely benefited from the deal
Saudi Arabia to Host Ukraine Peace Talks as Part of Western Effort to Woo Global South
Washington and Europe are hoping the talks, which exclude Russia, can lead to international backing for peace terms favoring Ukraine
Florida, USA, has witnessed an increased incidence of leprosy cases lacking traditional risk factors. Those trends, in addition to decreasing diagnoses in foreign-born persons, contribute to rising evidence that leprosy has become endemic in the southeastern United States.
Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is an emerging, tick bite–associated allergic condition characterized by potentially life-threatening hypersensitivity to an oligosaccharide found in most mammalian meat and products derived from it
Haiti Travel Advisory
BlackRock, JPMorgan Chase Partner With Ukraine To Launch Reconstruction Bank
Alaska’s newest gold rush: Seaweed
Lithium Industry: US Senate Approves Critical Tax Treaty with Chile
Russia Withdraws from Black Sea Grain Initiative