Last night I said to my husband, the US and Israel will strike Iran tomorrow, and alas, that was the news we woke up to today… sigh! I was listening to a podcast recently about how dangerous someone like Donald Trump is when everything around him goes haywire, and this feels like part of that story. Another huge distraction away from everything else going on, and of course it makes sense, because leaders under pressure sometimes choose escalation – it reorders attention and constrains dissent, right?
Must read inside view: Why Iran Will Escalate: U.S. Military Strikes and the Risk of a Quagmire
War, at this point in the planetary crisis, is an absolute disaster, which could tip us over the edge. Understanding the other variables in the mix – China and Russia, as well as the rest of the Middle East – is hair raising. I suppose we see what happens now, in the meantime remember, we can’t control state decisions, but we can control: what we amplify; what we fund; what we normalize; and how we organize locally. Get to work in whatever way makes sense to you.
Misogyny is not in anyone’s interest
Another HUGE issue facing the world is misogyny. This is obviously not a new thing, but it has accelerated in the last couple of years, and it’s a losing game for everyone. If men, women, minority groups and our Indigenous brothers and sisters are not at every table where decisions are being made, the wrong decisions will be made.
So-called alpha males or high-status males (as Elon Musk has been supporting) are exactly the type of people who put the world on its current track. This type leading us forward is the very definition of insanity (which Einstein didn’t utter), and they have no intention of doing what is needed – bringing our world together, so we move forward in a way where we take care of the majority of humanity. Yeah Nah Musk! We must all stand together and say no, and we need to do it soon, because they are coalescing their power every day.
Some articles I recommend, a broad illustration on the issue
- This is a must read Fix Your Hearts or Die. It is perfectly laid out historically, covering the essential driving force of patriarchy, and concluding: the actual path to liberation for lonely men is feminism. I’m sure it’s gone down a treat with the manosphere
- Important read for all parents, of sons or daughters – I am a 15-year-old girl. Let me show you the vile misogyny that confronts me on social media every day | Anonymous | The Guardian
- Casual misogyny by the US President – US women’s hockey team declines Trump’s State of the Union invite, citing scheduling | CNN Politics. BTW if you want to hear/see the male conversation and then hear the elegant response from the captain of the female team, here you go
- Epstein is everywhere, but a very interesting link worth pondering – Epstein Created The Male Loneliness Crisis
- Just because this is US focused, doesn’t mean it ain’t coming our way. Appalling and we can never let them win – Opinion | The Heritage Foundation Wants to Send American Women Back Half a Century – The New York Times
- Language is everything these days, perhaps an education opportunity for those not in the loop on Incel speak? If you have boys, might be some excellent knowledge – Everyone Speaks Incel Now | WIRED
- One more and this is a bit unique, but important from a misogyny perspective, as women are excluded, but also the tech mafia is a threat to us all. Equally, it’s interesting as a few years ago, something like this couldn’t have been written, because it would have been considered homophobic, but will this also guarantee homophobia increases again? I’m also wondering for the broader gay community, especially if you don’t fit the “physique requirements” of this band of brothers, would you be excluded? Inside the Gay Tech Mafia | WIRED
Misogyny matters. If we continue to allow ourselves to be divided, and for half the population to have no say in the future, well guess what? We’re not going to make it. We need to come together, and yet, those seeking to divide us are doing such a great job, most don’t even appreciate that their views do not serve them.
The BIG planetary news worth paying attention to
- Deny, delay, downplay: How governments hide climate change intelligence – Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
- IPBES: Four key takeaways on how nature loss threatens the global economy – Carbon Brief
- Permafrost thaw and ‘shrubification’ have tipped Alaska’s North Slope into a wildfire regime not seen for 3,000 years | Live Science
- Rain is coming to Antarctica – here’s how it will change the frozen continent
- How a greening Arctic might be kick-starting a dangerous feedback loop | Grist
- Study of 27.8M Americans May Have Revealed Direct Alzheimer’s Cause – Newsweek
- Rising atmospheric CO2 reduces nitrogen availability in boreal forests | Nature
- Deep-Sea Mining May Harm Thousands of Species—Before They Are Even Discovered | The Pew Charitable Trusts
- This Ocean Is Losing Salt at Unprecedented Speed, And It Might Just Turn Our Climate Plans Upside Down
- Greenland ice melt surges unprecedentedly amid warming
- Brazil’s soy giants clear way for deforestation
- Under water, in denial: is Europe drowning out the climate crisis? | Climate science scepticism and denial | The Guardian
- The Oil Industry’s Latest Disaster: Trillions of Gallons of Buried Toxic Wastewater – DeSmog
- UN declares that Earth has entered a period of “water bankruptcy” – Earth.com
Finally, El Niño is coming. I’m going to predict between 1.7°C to 1.8°C of warming. We got to 1.63°C in 2024, so it’s not an outlandish prediction. Who knows, we might hit 2°C of warming before 2027 is over!
As always, click on the image below, plenty more where that came from. We must face up to this time, because we are out of time. That means every single person on this planet needs to be doing something, ANYTHING, to turn this around. It’s the only way.
Those leading us are NOT going to do it. Then again, from all I’m seeing, I personally think it’s part of the strategy. At best, many leaders are acting as if mass suffering is an acceptable price for maintaining power and the status quo, which should terrify us all.
I would not be shocked to learn that they believe if billions of us are wiped out, earth will naturally heal itself and then they’ll be OK. However, all that proves is they have NO IDEA how physics works.
There is no question we need a dramatic change in who leads us through this time.
Fast information and brain rot
Before I finish, we must address the information environment itself – something I covered last week too. We must consider it an active layer of conflict, because where our attention is steered, our outrage engineered and we are kept distracted = deliberate strategy. Additionally, brain rot is real, and we must tackle it.
I call it “fast information,” Nate Hagens calls it “ultra-processed information,” both are right. We have hit the enshittification of information, where a tiny few get to make a lot of money, and we suffer the withering of our minds. So, save your minds my friends; pay attention to this risk and let’s do something about it before it’s too late.
Friends content and my own
The Shit Show is back and honestly, I don’t think we’ll be changing the name to something more genteel anytime soon, based on what I’m seeing in the world. We covered a lot this week, so if you want to get your head around 2026 so far, that was the goal with this show. Please follow, subscribe, comment, tell your friends and support us. You can also listen on my podcast, Uncommon Courage, wherever you listen to podcasts.
We do this as a service and none of us are earning anything. Also, if you want to join us, our calendar is not full! Reach out.
Dig into the news
The world news page is updated daily, so check in whenever it suits you. It covers news and thought leadership across all issues relevant to the polycrisis, as well as some light stuff, because we can’t be serious all the time. To get to the news, click through on the image below, and a reminder, this goes 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
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.