Sheesh, another intense week and when I published the reads last week, Alex Pretti was still alive. I thought Renee Good’s murder would be the “spark,” now it looks like Pretti’s murder has put that momentum on steroids. It’s incredibly upsetting watching this news, and I urge everyone with children to check in on them. They are being fed this news every day, but are they able to process this healthily? We are certainly having a lot of conversations about the news in our house.
A sobering piece of news this week, the Doomsday Clock has moved closer to midnight again – the closest it has ever been – Doomsday Clock 2026: Atomic scientists set new time | CNN.
A quote from the article to set the context – At the dawn of the nuclear age, scientists created the Doomsday Clock as a symbolic representation of how close humanity is to destroying the world. On Tuesday, nearly eight decades later, the clock was set at 85 seconds to midnight — the closest the timepiece has ever been to midnight, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which established the clock in 1947.
A year ago, it was set at 89 seconds to midnight, and while initially set up to illustrate nuclear risk, it now covers the climate crisis, biological threats, and advances in “disruptive technologies” such as artificial intelligence. Bulletin scientists also cited the spread of misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories as other existential threats to humanity.
Yay humans, we are so smart!
I mentioned last week I’d seen discussions of the US using supersonic weapons when it kidnapped Maduro from Venezuela. At the time, I couldn’t find any media coverage on it. That changed this week – The ‘discombobulator’: Did US use ‘secret weapon’ in Maduro abduction? | Weapons | Al Jazeera. There’s plenty more where that came from.
Another possibility is that law enforcement in the US are also using these weapons on protestors in Minnesota – Minnesota troopers caught using sonic weapons at close range against peaceful ICE protesters – The Mirror US.
Some more US news worth attention
- A good discussion on how citizen journalism is breaking through and creating divisions in the MAGA world – Videos of ICE Violence Are Ple…–On the Media – Apple Podcasts
- A headline I never thought I’d see – American Jews reclaim German citizenship | DW News
- Lots of different perspectives from around the world – Trump Is Demolishing the Global Order. Here’s What Might Come Next. – POLITICO
- An interesting read, and honestly, I feel the same way about the planetary crisis. Everyone going on like it’s all normal – After the Minnesota killings, what is your role and how can you help? | Vox
Bruce Springsteen released Streets of Minneapolis this week, so here it is if you haven’t heard it. He’s a good egg.
Want a little hope? Have a listen to this, yes, peace is possible – Fighting with Nonviolence with…–The Good Apocalypse Podcast – Apple Podcasts.
Wild weather
As our news feeds have been full of the devastating freeze in the US, on the other side of the world, Australia is baking under an intense heat dome, with temperatures close to 50°C! That is so very dangerous, and of course, the fires have been intense too – Heatwave: More temperature records smashed as ‘heat dome’ persists | SBS News.
A very Australian look at the situation – Filming a Frosty Fruit in 48C heat. Spoiler alert: the camera couldn’t handle it – video | Australia weather | The Guardian.
It looks like sustainable energy has been doing a great job in the Australian heatwave, which is awesome news. As we move into a hotter world, grid independence is important, so if you can afford it, get it installed – The most important power station in the nation is no longer a distant coal plant – it’s on our rooftops.
Heatwaves are Australia’s new normal. And they’re going to get worse – yes, yes they are, and it’s going to get much worse, especially with El Nino just around the corner.
Heading back up north, here are some amazing photos of the freeze in and around New York City – Deadly bomb cyclone rattling New York | news.com.au.
One of my favorite scientists, Peter Kalmus, telling Trump like it is. Climate literacy should be an expectation of any world leader today! Trump, You Ignorant Fool – by Peter Kalmus – Climate Human.
And the cold is not over for the US, as a Bomb Cyclone moves into the East Coast this weekend – Winter Storm Gianna: Explosive Bomb Cyclone Targets East Coast Sunday, Unleashing Major Snow and Blizzard,
Chile is also dealing with intense heat and out of control fires – Chile declares ‘state of catastrophe’ as wildfires kill at least 18 | Climate Crisis News | Al Jazeera.
Cyclone Harry battered parts of Italy, and if you haven’t see it, this landslide in Sicily is absolutely mind boggling – ‘Situation is dire’ for Sicily town teetering on cliff edge after landslide | Italy | The Guardian.
Mozambique got absolutely hammered by floods – Mozambique floods: ‘Worst in living memory’ say those rescued from rising waters.
And of course, lots more going on with extreme weather around the globe, which you can find here. However, before we move onto the next section, remember when Indonesia got slammed by a cyclone, floods, and landslides?
This video is a powerful and important look at the situation today, including how many people are still struggling to survive. If they don’t get electricity back in action soon, along with access to aircon when the heat season really hits, the fatalities from this event will soar. Based on the suffering from heat, hunger and disease already, I’m sure the number of people dying is already colossal, but we’ll never hear about it.
Climate cost
This climate stuff is getting expensive – Earth was hit by 55 billion-dollar weather disasters in 2025 » Yale Climate Connections. Interestingly, a below-average total cost and the reason? The absence of any hurricanes hitting the US for the first time since 2015.
Another article that got a lot of attention this week is this – Number of people living in extreme heat to double by 2050 if 2C rise occurs, study finds | Extreme heat | The Guardian. What frustrates me about this is the 2050 date. I get that it is technically correct, because we need to look back and forward 10 years before we can confirm a rise, however, it is expected we will experience 2°C of warming BEFORE the end of this decade. My concern is we will not act in time, because this gives false comfort that we have time. We don’t.
Nipah is in the news
There’s a media frenzy building around the Nipah virus, and I took some comfort from this interview. Apparently, the virus has an R0 of less than one. R0 is the reproductive number of a virus and reflects how many people will get it from an infected person. This means anyone with Nipah will infect less than one person. Covid R0 numbers vary widely, but it’s about 2-3 (the Delta variant was 5-8), and the measles has an R0 of 12-18. Of course, viruses mutate, so we must never be complacent.
The UN
Whatever you think of the UN, we cannot afford to see it collapse. It needs to be funded properly, so it can be successful in its work. It was always set up so it could never truly succeed, but an institution that brings the world together is a critical asset at this moment for humanity – UN risks ‘imminent financial collapse’, secretary general warns.
Melania
I haven’t seen this documentary, and I don’t know if I will BUT as a news item, it is a very interesting study in how the media works. Fawning on one side, derision on the other, and most people commenting haven’t even seen it. A sign of the times – Melania review – First Lady is a preening, scowling void of pure nothingness in this ghastly bit of propaganda | The Independent.
Misogyny
If you haven’t noticed, an ugly wave of misogyny is here. Yes, it’s always around, but it’s worse now than it has been in a long long time. This is not good for any of us. Too many want to take us backwards and we can never allow that to happen. Equality is good for everyone. EVERYONE.
A recent example of misogyny is perfectly illustrated in this article – No one’s sure exactly what’s up with the Beckhams. So why does everyone think the women are to blame? It just really makes my heart hurt. I have zero interest in other people’s lives and detest gossip. But the way the women have been the focus of this? Pathetic, and yes, I know women are in the mix of this too – relishing in putting other women down – which makes it worse. We need to be kind to each other. Life is hard enough right now.
Scam centres
You might have heard about the scam centres operating in Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, etc.. well this is an eye-opening look at what’s going on – brave guy – He Leaked the Secrets of a Southeast Asian Scam Compound. Then He Had to Get Out Alive | WIRED. It looks like the Chinese government is going hard on the issue too – China executes 11 members of Myanmar scam mafia.
Watch
If you’re looking for something interesting to watch, Black Swans, by Matt Bevan, is terrific. As an Australian, it’s super interesting looking back to before I was born and the decisions made for the future, and he covers some interesting topics, very relevant to today. Episode one is below, and here are two, three and four. Worth a watch.
A story to keep an eye on – something is going on with gold and silver. I haven’t made sense of it yet, but will keep my eye’s peeled – Silver, gold sell off as precious metals markets nosedive.
Finally, RIP to a favorite actor – Catherine O’Hara, star of Schitt’s Creek and Home Alone, dies at 71 – BBC News.
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
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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.
We’ll be back, February 27th, 2026.
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.
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18 Steps to an All-Star LinkedIn Profile
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