After a lovely long break, where I got my Saturday’s back, it’s time to get going again on the Weekend Reads, and boy, isn’t it bonkers out there? It feels like everything is blowing up everywhere you look, and while I know a lot of people are stunned, the polycrisis is really warming up. Getting our heads ready for this is critical, but the other important point is we can’t be apathetic, we must fight.
I know it feels like we can’t do anything about the stuff going on, but who else is going to do something? It’s time to fight and we must fight hard. We also must fight with the same intensity as those who are taking the world down a very dark path. We can not let them win, and guess what, we outnumber them 70% to 30%. Time to use that majority.
I’m not going to do a summary of the key news this week, because I want to share something I’ve been working on over the summer. An information repository on the key issues relevant to the polycrisis. The news page moves so fast, and I often find myself searching for news and research long lost in the bowels of the news page. So, to help me, and hopefully you, I’ve put together multiple information repositories so you can dig into these important topics whenever you need. See below.
I’m doing a lot of different things to fight for our future, but one of the ways I fight is to share what I read, watch and listen to. I know I consume a lot more than most, but it’s what I need to do – make sense of the big stuff. I can’t help myself. With that said, I also appreciate that many are completely overwhelmed, so that’s why I do this. To help with the overwhelm and to provide balance, across multiple new sources from around the world.
I also speak up, and The Shit Show is returning this coming Friday, 5th September. David, Richard, Joe and I are going to discuss everything we’ve seen over recent months, with the aim of helping you make sense of it too. Sometimes we make sense of it together. Please join us and share it with anyone you think will be interested. We really appreciate your support, especially as we’ve got some great guests lined up. Want to join us on the show? Reach out.
The show appears on multiple social media pages, but if you haven’t already, subscribe to my YouTube channel, and if you hit the notification button, you’ll never miss a show.
Right, so what are these resources pages all about?
- The polycrisis (also called the meta crisis) – a less newsy page, because it’s more resource based. If you want to do a deep dive and learn, lots to ingest here
- Human behaviour – I have always been intrigued with the human mind – why we think how we think and why we do what we do. This is psychology, philosophy and everything in between. If you want to understand humans, hopefully a useful resource for you
- AI + human impact – we know all about AI, because people won’t stop talking about it, but what about the human impact side? From lost jobs to suicide and AI psychosis, it’s important to be aware of what is going on
- Techbros, technofascists, the NerdReich – this topic is getting a lot more mainstream attention now and it’s all in the open, but we’re not paying attention. So many think this fits into the conspiracy bucket, but it doesn’t, and we’d be very stupid to ignore it
- Manosphere, Incels, Misogyny, DEI – we are going backwards in so many ways, and we were making such great progress. No one wins if we don’t keep moving forward, including the men trying to get women back in the kitchen. And when it comes to the surge of racism around the world, we really are stupid. Migration is critical to our future societies
- Authoritarianism, fascism, democracy – this is definitely a very news heavy page, because everything is moving so fast. Did you ever believe, in our lifetimes, we’d see the US become an authoritarian state? Nuts, but my hope lies in the fact that more people in the US are speaking up and acting. Gavin Newsom has been a stand-out, but he’s not alone. Failure of imagination is our enemy here
- Food security, food inflation, famine, drought – a really important issue we are facing, and it is getting worse. Initially, most of us will feel this in our pocket, but overtime, food shortages will be a common experience globally. We need to act now to secure our food supplies and change our behaviours to stop it getting worse – eat more plants!
- 9 Planetary Boundaries + Overshoot – another fast-moving page, because there is so much happening, and this covers a wide array of issues, as The Nine Planetary Boundaries are climate change, novel entities, stratospheric ozone depletion, atmospheric aerosol loading, ocean acidification, biogeochemical flows, freshwater use, land-system change and change in biosphere integrity. It also covers overshoot
- Conspiracy theories, mis- + disinformation, propaganda, #FakeNews, journalism – our trust in information has never been lower and that is a crisis for all of us, especially those who value democracy. Another issue we need to get a handle on and solve. Plenty going on here, so another fast-moving page
- Extreme heat, heat stroke, extreme cold + impacts – as I’m based in Asia, extreme heat is a real-time issue, and it’s alarming to feel how fast things are changing. Weather extremes are an alarm bell on the state of our climate, and we will soon see millions dying in extreme events. Extreme cold is deadly, but the biggest killer today is extreme heat. For those who say “it’s always hot” – Singapore used to average four extreme heat days a year, in 2024, it had 122 more dangerous heat days, and you can feel it. Understand this issue, so you can protect yourself and your loved ones
- Religious fundamentalism – a growing issue across the world, not just Christian Nationalism. This is something we need to get a handle on and let’s be honest, any form of fundamentalism sucks!
- Trust + social cohesion – trust has been on the decline for decades – in our politicians, business leaders, the media and charitable organisations. Trust in our institutions is also at record lows. Without trust, our societies crumble, and we must focus on addressing this. Social cohesion is also being fractured and without it, our societies become less safe. Time to look this in the eye
- Woke, cancel culture + culture wars – we know all about this with Trump in the Oval Office, but honestly, this is a massive step backwards for our societies. The ‘War on Woke’ is a war on everything that is good in our world. We must also address cancel culture, which leaves no room for redemption, and culture wars – YAWN!!
- Gaslighting – this is a topic of particular interest to me. It can obviously happen to you in personal relationships, but it’s the wider gaslighting used by politicians and other leaders that really fascinates me today, because right now, it’s out of control. It leaves us all discombobulated, because it’s so confusing, but if you know what it is, you can see it happening very clearly
- War + environment and ecological impact – we can’t afford war, we never could, but in a climate emergency, war can push us over the edge. We must do all we can to stop war. It’s never the answer and it’s impact lasts in the soil, air and water for generations. Humanity must evolve
Click to this page, and you’ll get to the resources.
So there you go, it’s kept me busy, and I would LOVE to know if this is useful for you, as well as if you think I’m missing a key issue? I don’t really want to do anymore, but if I have a blind spot, always happy to know.
Equally, if you’re a parent and you have kids at school studying these subjects, pass them the link. I’ve given it to my sons. And a special bonus, if you’re heading to a family event and the “annoying uncle” with an opinion on everything is showing up, get updated on the issues, so you are ready to stand your ground. You can thank me after.
That’s it for this week, and please join us this coming Friday, 5th September for The Shit Show. We look forward to seeing you there.
Dig into the news
As always, there’s plenty more to read, listen to or watch, so do click through to the reads at the image below, and a reminder, this platform has articles going back weeks, so have a scan and read/watch/listen to whatever jumps out at you.
Let me know what caught your attention? Or share with me what has your attention now? There’s a lot going on, which means none of us can cover everything. Besides, it’s always great to get feedback so I know I’m delivering something of value.
Cheers
Andrea
All my contact information is here.
If you want to support my work, please share my work, subscribe to my social channels, or at least buy me a coffee here.
The Sh*t Show
The Sh*t Show is a Livestream happening every Friday, where Andrea T Edwards, Dr. David Ko, Richard Busellato and Joe Augustin, as well as special guests, discuss the world’s most pressing issues across all angles of the polycrisis, working to make sense of the extremely challenging and complex times we are all going through, plus what we can do about it. Help us move the needle so we can change the name of the show to something more genteel when (or if) it is no longer a sh*t show.
Uncommon Courage: an invitation
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.
You can buy it on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Booktopia, Smashwords, Kobo, 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 Facebook Group One Billion People with Uncommon Courage.
Listen in to the Uncommon Courage, the podcast on Apple, Spotify and everywhere podcasts are published.
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?
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
Feedback
Have I done a great job for you? Can you write a reference on my LinkedIn profile or on my Google Business page? If not for me, why not write one for someone else who inspires you or has helped you? Join the #GivingEconomy.