The Digital Conversationalist

Andrea T Edwards

#122 Weekend reads – want to see what global calamity looks like?

Then watch Ancient Apocalypse on Netflix, although I strongly urge you to put on your critical thinking hat when you do. This is a very interesting and controversial documentary, but as it discusses an Ice Age event, which ended about 12,000 years ago, it’s really fascinating.

The journalist Graham Hancock, lays out evidence showing there was an advanced civilization in our pre-history and they not only came back and helped humanity get re-established after the global calamity, they also left us a warning. I won’t give it away, don’t worry.

Graham Hancock

As an archaeology and ancient history lover, I found it fascinating, however, as someone who is tracking the climate crisis, even more so. A catastrophic event hit earth at this time (that fact is not denied), and it visually illustrates what earth was like back then, with so much of our land connected due to the ice age. This meant more people movement than we typically give credit too. It also explains why similar structure – or megalithic structures – are so similar. Just the maps (and the story behind them) is fascinating.

But like I said, he is controversial. Some interesting commentary in the media…
  1. With Netflix’s Ancient Apocalypse, Graham Hancock has declared war on archaeologists
  2. The Ancient Absurdities of Ancient Apocalypse
  3. Graham Hancock’s Ancient Apocalypse Netflix series ‘promotes racist conspiracy theories’, claim archaeologists
  4. Graham Hancock: Ancient Apocalypse – One To Watch . . . a nice one in the top four
My impression of this series was not straight forward:
  • Is there a chance there was an ancient human civilization, with advanced skills and ideas? Yes, I absolutely believe this was possible. History is always changing, as we find new information, uncover new sites, understand languages we didn’t before (The Rosetta Stone), develop new technologies, and of course, much of the evidence may be under water! But keeping an open mind about possibilities is something I support. History is never stagnant
  • However, sometimes his proof felt extremely tenuous, and as you can see in the criticism of the series, the archaeologists pointed this out too
  • He has a long history of antagonizing the archaeologists and it’s discussed in EVERY episode. It felt bitter watching it, but then, when you understand how long this has been going on for, you can’t blame him. It doesn’t mean he’s right or that the archaeologists are right. Regardless, I’m not a fan of watching bitterness, and it did leave me thinking: why can’t you guys just get together and work it out? Clean plate and all
  • One of the aspects I LOVED is how it weaves astronomy, mythology, and archaeology together, with geology brought into the last episode. That last episode is especially interesting, as it talks about a catastrophic flooding event and there is geological evidence in the US that this happened. We get to see the mighty formation left behind from this massive flood. This made me ponder what happens when Thwaites Glacier goes, as well as everything behind it. A very compelling part of the story for me
  • The mythology and astronomy angle is also very interesting, especially as these specialities are not usually woven together, however, it makes sense that they should be. With mythology, it’s the consistency of similar ancient stories across cultures all over the world – with the great flood at the centre of all these stories. And with astronomy, showing the ancient sites, all directed towards the stars, and built over thousands of years, proving a human legacy rejected by archaeologists. There is a story and a warning in the stars, according to this series
  • Finally, it’s a bit corny. Lots of whimsical looks off into the distance and slow walking scenes, with a ton of drama in the mix, but if you can get past this, it’s still worth a watch

So, whether you believe him or not, if you want to get a feel for a global calamity, this is a fascinating perspective of what it looks like, the timeline of how and when it happened (it was quick) and a possible story of ancestors who got humankind back on our feet 12,000 years ago.

Is it true? I suppose if we enter an ice age, we will have less water in our oceans and perhaps where the sea is now, we’ll find the evidence he needs to really nail his hypothesis. Until then, an interesting yarn and possible warning to us all. Let me know what you think of it if you watch it?

Friend’s content and mine

Cecê and the beauty of teaching art – Cece Nobre is an art teacher at my boy’s school and he’s such an incredible talent. We have the opportunity to see his murals around town, and I love this video, capturing his art, thinking and the importance of creativity. Have a watch.

How Can We Make Real Change For Good? – super grateful to my friend Jane Franklin, who wrote this incredible review for my book, Uncommon Courage, an invitation. Super grateful.

Elon Musk is not using The New Leadership Playbook at Twitter – we are all aware of the shenanigans going on at Twitter right now and who knows the final outcome. Enjoyed this read by Andrew Bryant and his book is excellent.

Discounts yay, annual sales yay, shop, consume… the disconnect is jarring – just me, attempting to raise awareness again, that the mass consumerism encouraged by these annual sales events, is at the heart of our excessive consumption, climate and waste challenges.

Finally, my friend John Vincent Gordon, total treasure, sent me this video testimonial for my book – thank you John!

Donation time

If everyone gave #just10percent of their time, talent, money or voice, we’ll change the world. Can you donate? Make it a regular donation to the World Food Programme. Or donate to the UN Refugee Program, Medicine Sans Frontier, PowerOf , Kiva.org , Soi Dog Foundation.  It’s a time for giving and taking care of each other.

Content to read

And here’s the content I’ve been reading or watching this last week. Scan the headlines, read the ones that jump out at you, read or watch them all. Knowledge is power, and global knowledge is even more powerful.

Climate crisis

Al Gore at the Opening of the #COP27 World Leaders Summit 

Scientists Are Uncovering Ominous Waters Under Antarctic Ice

Climate change will clearly disrupt El Niño and La Niña this decade, 40 years earlier than we thought

Subarctic boreal forest, vital for the planet, is at risk

What Is the True Cost of Climate Change? Frustration Simmers Around the Edges of COP27, and May Boil Over Far From the Summit

Arctic permafrost is thawing rapidly. It affects us all

How to move a country: Fiji’s radical plan to escape rising sea levels

The world has reached 8 billion people — but soon we’ll hit a decline we’ll never reverse

Climate change: Dimming Earth, mustard shortages and other odd side-effects

World making little progress on food waste, a big climate problem

William Bill McDonough: The man who redefined sustainability

Fossil fuel producers flex their muscle at UN climate summit

Potentially historic snowstorm hits western New York state

What if East Coast Park and other coastal areas in Singapore go under water?

The Gray Area with Sean Illing: Why are billionaires prepping for the apocalypse? Podcast

Climate Activists, Including Scientists, Are Arrested in Protests at Private Airports

Tree-planting search engine will now show you whether businesses are the real deal or greenwashers

The meat industry is borrowing tactics from Big Oil to obfuscate the truth about climate change

Used clothing tracked via geolocation tags

‘Stupid’ to equate climate concerns with being woke, says Zac Goldsmith

Mushroom leather used in Hermes bags earns startup $187M in funding

What Is Contrition Without Reparation? – The Atlantic

As Climate Warms, a China Planner Advocates ‘Sponge Cities’ (usnews.com)

‘Inland tsunami’ as dam spills in NSW floods disaster 

Albury flooding ‘worst in nearly 50 years’ keeps emergency services busy

Degrowth: A dangerous idea or the answer to the world’s biggest problems?

How corporations are distracting from the real goal of COP27

I was a lead author on the climate report that won Al Gore the Nobel Prize. Here’s what we know now that we didn’t know then  tks Samantha Gayfer

Al Gore’s Electric Bills Get Criticism Ahead of ‘An Inconvenient Sequel’  tks Avi Liran

Eastern Pacific Ocean is cooling NOT warming! Are the climate models wrong??

Today’s Contemplation: Collapse Cometh LXXVII | by Steve Bull

Aldi shopper told she can’t buy food – then watches as it is thrown in the bin

NASA Study: Rising Sea Level Could Exceed Estimates for U.S. Coasts | NASA

Half of replanted tropical trees don’t survive, new study finds

Ghost farms: the mink sheds abandoned to the pandemic

COP27: Joe Biden issues climate rallying cry to world leaders

Meet the ‘Closer’ Who Finds the Right Words When Climate Talks Hit a Wall

First draft of Cop27 text: what it says and what it means

Draft Cop27 agreement fails to call for ‘phase-down’ of all fossil fuels

Just Stop Oil have just landed a major victory

COP-27 draft climate deal sticks to 1.5C

‘Devastating consequences’ as new Swedish government scraps environment ministry

The Economist Podcasts: The Economist Asks: Will the clean-energy transition be fast enough? Podcast

COP27: Lack of women at negotiations raises concern

Kicking our growth addiction is the way out of the climate crisis. This is how to do it

Greenwashing Governments and Oil Companies Turned COP27 Into a Climate Disaster

Don’t throw out your plastic bottle caps, donate to Precious Plastic

Global politics

Opinion | Run, Joe, Run! Why I Don’t Worry About Biden’s Age — and You Shouldn’t Either

Arizona Official: Trump Lied

US midterms: Democrats retain control of Senate after key Nevada victory

Joe Biden Was Right – The Atlantic

Researchers say 2022 election had second highest young voter turnout in last 30 years

Democrats hail young voters, Gen Z as US midterm results roll in

Exit polls show shifts among 2022 midterm voters compared with 2018  

How We Voted in the 2022 Midterm Elections

Young voters hailed as key to Democratic successes in midterms

US midterm elections 2022: Demographics, politics changing gradually

How young voters became the wall for the ‘red wave’ : NPR

‘I don’t think Trump is the future’: Trump voters on his 2024 run

Trump not first politician to be ditched by Rupert Murdoch

Trump Is Back In – The Atlantic

Republicans scrape back control of US House

House Republicans say ‘top priority’ is to probe Biden family

Voters support abortion rights in all five states with ballot measures

If the next election is the UK’s ‘millennial moment’, Labour will reap the rewards

‎The Gray Area with Sean Illing: James Carville unpacks the midterms Podcast

Ukraine war: Russian activist writes letters from jail

Russia strives to avoid G20 isolation as China and India distance themselves

Anthony Albanese, Xi Jinping meeting: Chinese president brings intimidation campaign to an end

Istanbul: Six dead, dozens wounded in Turkey explosion

Iran issues new death sentences as protests enter third month

Iranian protesters set fire to Ayatollah Khomeini’s house

Mohammed bin Salman: Saudi leader given US immunity over Khashoggi killing

Business and technology

How a Mysterious China Reopening Screenshot Spurred $450B Stock Market Rally

Xi’s crackdowns drive Chinese billionaires to booming Singapore

China zero Covid: Violent protests in Guangzhou put curbs under strain

Globalisation Isn’t Dead, It Needs a Reset

Women in the Workplace 2022: The State of Women in Corporate America

Deliveroo’s sudden collapse leaves delivery riders scrambling to find new jobs

The fall of the FTX ‘King of Crypto’ Sam Bankman-Fried

FTX: The $32B implosion – SatPost by Trung Phan

Binance pledges to create crypto industry recovery fund, calls for regulation

Alibaba Singles’ Day Sales Kept a Secret for the First Time (BABA)

E-commerce giants Alibaba, JD.com keep Singles’ Day sales results under wraps amid China’s economic woes, zero-Covid-19 policy

This $8 billion gigayacht could be the largest structure ever built

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos pledges to give away most of his wealth

Jeff Bezos for the first time says he will give most of his money to charity

A software engineer from India says he was fired by Meta 2 days after he moved to Canada for his job

Apple being “very deliberate” on hiring amid economic uncertainty, says CEO Tim Cook

Future Consumer Index: In crisis, but in control

Twitter closes offices until Monday as employees quit in droves

Musk Tells Staff Accept ‘Hardcore’ Twitter or Leave in Email

Video: Twitter Workers Who Rejected Musk Count Down Until They’re Fired

Friend of Elon Musk Says He’s Surrounded by Sycophants and Yes Men

Elon Musk Is Tweeting Through a Tide of Criticism

Elon Musk details his vision for a Twitter payments system

Elon Musk’s Twitter Timeline: How to Piss Away $44 Billion

Elon Musk Fired Twitter Head of Sales After Begging Her to Stay: Report

Twitter Will Be Dead Within A Week, According To Remaining Twitter Employee

Social issues and humanity

Why divergent thinkers beat geniuses in the real world – Big Think

The Political Scene | The New Yorker: The Theologian Russell Moore on Christian Nationalism on Apple Podcasts

Brené with Bono on Songs of Surrender and Carrying the Weight of Our Contradictions, Part 1 of 2 – Unlocking Us with Brené Brown | Podcast on Spotify

Justice Shouldn’t Hurt: Mum Michelle Milthorpe on how child sex abuse victims are treated in court tks Yasmine Keating

How Meth Worsened the Fentanyl Crisis. ‘We Are in a Different World.’  

BBC Radio 5 Live – The Martin Lewis Podcast – Martin Lewis: Go cold turkey on Christmas presents

The Age of Social Media Is Ending tks Damian Corbet

Repeat SARS-CoV-2 infections increase risk of adverse health conditions in multiple organs

How long COVID ruined my life (and why it won’t go away)

Passion, humour, history

Judy Woodruff Prepares to Sign Off as a ‘PBS NewsHour’ Anchor

Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games mascots likened to ‘clitoris in trainers’

World Cup 2022: Alcohol sales banned at World Cup stadiums in Qatar

Let me know what jumped out at you? Or share with me what you’re reading? I love that!

Cheers

Andrea

Environment education

Three environment resources to help navigate this challenging territory. 1. Knowledge, constantly updating. 2. Individual action and awareness, so we do our part. 3. Resources for those struggling with eco-anxiety. Please share with your community.

Climate Crisis

Uncommon Courage: an invitation – my latest book

Uncommon Courage is an invitation to be your courageous best self every day. It’s also an antidote to the overwhelm, fear, and rage rolling around the world. But it’s more than a book; it’s an invitation to join an inclusive community that wants to better understand humanities challenges – both global and personal – in order to take courageous action and create a better world for everyone. If Covid19 has given us the time and space to reflect, Uncommon Courage gives us the nudge we need to create lasting change.

You can buy it on AmazonApple BooksBarnes & Noble, Book DepositoryBooktopia, SmashwordsKobo, Gardners, Odilo, Indie Bound, BookShop by BookTrib and Scribd.

Better yet, order it from your local bookstore, so you can #SupportLocal.

You can read the reviews, including a new five-star review on Book Commentary, another five-star review on ReaderViews, a review on BookTrib, and three more on Booklife, another on Book Commentary and Blue Ink Reviews. I’m also collating reviews on my Website too. Have a look and grateful to everyone who has written or recorded one.

Come and join the conversation in my new Facebook Group Uncommon Courage.

Uncommon Courage, the podcast – Apple, Spotify and everywhere podcasts are published.

 

The Know Show

Check out The Know Show. It’s a fortnightly wrap up of the news!

 

Climate Courage

A fortnightly conversation on issues that matter to you and I, focusing on the actions we can all take.

 

18 Steps to an All-Star LinkedIn Profile 

Listed by Book Authority in the 100 Best LinkedIn Books of All Time and 22 Best New LinkedIn eBooks To Read In 2021 and 2022 categories. Grab it today if you want to take your professional presence to the next level! When it comes to LinkedIn, it really is time to ask — can you really afford not to have this book in the hands of every employee?

Connect with me

andreatedwards.com , uncommon-courage.com

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Feedback

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Are you a Social CEO? The Social CEO: How Social Media Can Make You A Stronger Leader.

Want to claim your stage? Unleash Your Voice – Powerful Public Speaking for Every Woman 

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