1. Global wildfires down but not reported
There's an intriguing piece in the Wall Street Journal that ruffles the feathers of the apocalyptic climate narrative we're accustomed to. It appears that, contrary to the doom and gloom, global warming isn't actually setting our world on fire.
Satellite data points to a comforting trend – a decrease in the global burned area since the early 2000s. In fact, last year we hit a record-low of 2.2% global burned area. The media, however, still paints a picture of a world ablaze, while the global burned area has consistently been below average from 2012 through 2022.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that the problem doesn’t exist or that we can’t do anything about it. But scare tactics rarely lead to productive conversations and solutions. The change should start with the media.
2. Biden admin targeted Covid jokes
The "Facebook Files" recently exposed disturbing facts about the Biden administration's censorship practices, going after not just false information but true information it didn’t like … and jokes.
Released emails show a relentless Biden administration pressuring both Facebook and Twitter to comply with its extensive censorship demands under the guise of maintaining public confidence in the vaccines. Government-funded organizations like the Stanford Virality Project even went a bit Orwellian, stating that “true stories…could fuel hesitancy” of people taking the Covid vaccine.
3. NewsNation dunks on CNN (and LeBron James)
Startup NewsNation's UFO special "We Are Not Alone" beat a LeBron James-produced series on the history of black television" on CNN. The NewsNation program attracted 106,000 viewers, nearly twice as many as CNN's 65,000.
NewsNation got an overall bump from its groundbreaking UFO coverage, although both network ratings are small compared to Fox News, which is rebounding from its firing of Tucker Carlson.
4. Scandals, lies and a president's sudden death
It's easy to think we're crazier now than ever, but the bizarre stories around Warren Harding's death show the world's been nutty for awhile.
A hundred years ago, President Warren G. Harding met a sudden end. The how is still a mystery - some said it was a stroke, others believed he died of heart failure, and there were even those that joked he simply died of shame.
The loudest theory was the most unlikely one. Gaston B. Means, a former special agent and notorious con man, claimed Harding’s wife Florence poisoned him after learning of his affair and illegitimate child with Nan Britton, a younger woman from Ohio. This outlandish story was widely circulated, selling more copies than popular non-fiction works of the time. Despite his questionable credibility, Means' story convinced many of its truth.
The Harding story serves as a cautionary tale about the spread and impact of misinformation. No matter how dubious the source, people are willing to believe a compelling story over a boring one.
It’s also a reminder that while a lot of things have changed for the better, some things remain the same. And, just perhaps, we’re not living in the craziest time in our history.
Its arson & illegals setting fires nationwide, worldwide
I was a victim of the 2008 Station Fire, LA CA
Another point worth noting is the number of wildfires started by arsonists. I don’t recall the statistics but it seemed the majority of fires were intentionally started. Of course, the climate zealots don’t want to mention that either.