Andrea T Edwards

Andrea T Edwards

#265 Weekend Reads – it hasn’t even been a week since the latest assassination

Can you believe it’s less than a week since our screens were flooded with news of the latest assassination attempt (including a flood of conspiracy theories), and it’s almost disappeared from the news feeds as the chaos of our times continues? A sign of the times or what. A lot has been said since that moment, but I found this chap pretty perceptive. Wotcha reckon?

If you’re struggling, my little chill meditation is in the image for this blog – breathe in love, breath out hate. Do it for as long as you need, whenever the emotions get too much.

Right, let’s run through some key news from the week. There’s always plenty more on the world news page, which you can save on your home screen as an app for easy access.

Do it now and make the effort of putting this together, AND updating it every single day, worthwhile.

Hot, hot, hot

James Hansen and his team released a report indicating 2026 will be the hottest year on record. It seems an early call, but with the Super El Niño brewing, I can’t see it being anything other than the hottest, with 2027 expected to be even hotter – 2026 On Track for Warmest Year.

Here’s Paul Beckwith’s take on the report.

Crazy stuff, huh? Mexico City is sinking nearly 10 inches every year. Scientists can see it from space | AP News.

Terrible story out of Australia about the murder of a five-year-old girl, resulting in massive riots in Alice Springs. Look at her precious face? Riots erupt over Australian Aboriginal girl’s murder as suspect arrested | Protests News | Al Jazeera.

Terrible, awful, criminal – Toxic rare earth mining is poisoning the Mekong, threatening global food supplies | AP News. The world’s kitchen, but there is something else poisoning this region too.

Congratulations Germany!

The largest colonial plastic waste exporter, which is something to be proud of – not! However, just a heads up. Indonesia and Malaysia (and Turkey) cannot deal with this waste. So, what happens is, it ends up in the water, and eventually it comes back to you – either on your shores or in the flesh of the fish and other foods you eat from these countries. There is no away – Germany was largest exporter of plastic waste in 2025, sending 810,000 tonnes overseas, analysis finds | Plastics | The Guardian.

This is both beautiful and very very sad – What women’s work songs reveal about the changing climate.

India has already basically lost its winters, and now it’s got this to face – India may face 15-40 extra hot days annually over next 20 years: Projection | Hindustan Times.

Sticking with India, if you’re hearing about the Giant Nicobar project, this will provide background and context: Is India’s Great Nicobar Gambit an Asset or Liability? > Forums |.

Oliver said on the show, for every tree we cut down, two are planted to replace it. I’m going to dig further into this, because I do not believe this is true, especially when you understand this is how the world works in developing nations – India’s forests are disappearing, but not on paper | Dialogue Earth.

Thailand has trouble brewing, which means Vietnam, the Philippines, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, and on it goes, will have trouble too – Severe drought to grip Thailand for next 3 years.

More on El Niño – it’s a-coming – How the Next El Niño Could Lock in a Hotter Climate – Yale E360.

If you combine El Niño with man’s stupidity, we’ve got serious issues coming our way foodwise, but don’t worry, you should be OK. It’s the very poorest who will really suffer. Although, let’s hope they don’t get all crazy and start ripping our societies apart, you know, ‘cos they’re hungry and all…. – The Fertilizer Shock of 2026-2027: A Man-Made Famine in the Making – NaturalNews.com.

The rising heat from the impending El Niño will also definitely not help this situation – For The Past 20 Years Antarctica’s Deep Ocean Has Been Heating Up.

Trump, what’s he done now?

With Iran, who knows what idiotic decision is up next, but a reminder to allies, criticize Trump and expect retaliation – US to cut troop levels in Germany by 5,000 amid Trump spat with Merz.

It won’t change the poll numbers at home, with 61% of Americans saying attacking Iran was a mistake. Yep, they are correct – Poll finds 61 percent of Americans believe attacking Iran was a mistake | US-Israel war on Iran News | Al Jazeera.

Then there’s this – As Trump’s Poll Numbers Fall, His Authoritarian Instincts Grow More Extreme | The Nation.

Talking of polls, Pope Leo is knocking Trump out of the park – Pope Leo XIV Buries Donald Trump in New Polling.

The manosphere

Are you accidentally speaking manosphere/Incel/Looksmaxxing language and don’t even know it? Well, apparently it’s slipping into the lexicon and if you don’t want to be caught out, here’s the top 10 – look them up for what they mean (keeping this brief).

  1. Alpha
  2. Beta
  3. Chad
  4. Stacy
  5. Looksmaxxing
  6. Red pill
  7. Black pill
  8. Hypergamy
  9. Simp
  10. Cuck

I reckon it might be good to knock these out of the mainstream language before it starts to fester – like woke did. Agree?

Anyhoo, these observations are based on this article – The “manosphere” has infiltrated the workplace – Fast Company

However, before you cancel the next dude who says the wrong words, it’s really important to do this:

  • Listen for clusters of these words. A person using one of these words doesn’t make them an Incel
  • Repeated talk about male hierarchy is a pretty obvious sign of commitment to the cause
  • Contempt for women or feminism is too
  • Finally, keep eyes and ears peeled for any fixation on dominance, sexual market value, or high-value men

We sure do live in “interesting” times.

Finally, please spend time and read this. Keep control of your mind – Your Imagination Was Always Empire’s Last Frontier.

Friends content and my own

We lost our guest on the show this week, but don’t worry, he will be back. It was awesome having Oliver Gill step in due to Joe’s absence, and the conversation was wide on the multiple issues facing the current state of our planet. We better wake up soon.

Get your daily dose of courage here. New courage quotes every day!

Dig into the news

When you go into the daily news app, remember to save it to your home screen and you can check the news anytime, and it’s updated throughout the day – by a real human, me.

This news curation tool 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. The categories are right on top now as well, so you can dig into whatever issue you care about.

Andrea T Edwards, weekend reads

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 this blog, subscribe to my social channels, or at least buy me a coffee here.

Andrea Edwards

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 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 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 

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