Brett Amidon

TikTok: wytchythings, Insta: wytchythings, LinkedIn:

[PBS News @NewsHour]

The world is drowning in trash. Each day, we toss out 3.5 million tons of it.

Trash pollutes our lands and waters, with harmful impacts to many living things on Earth. The UN estimates that if we don't change course, the amount of plastic trash we produce is projected to triple by 2060.

One proposed solution to this crisis is recycling. But for some people, there's a lingering cynicism that recycling is a scam, that it doesn't really help and that it's more about creating positive feelings than doing something meaningful.

Horizons host William Brangham discussed this cynicism with Judith Enck, founder of Beyond Plastics, an organization that campaigns to end plastic waste.

Horizons from PBS News, dives into the science, health, technology and environmental issues making headlines each week. Visit the PBS News website to watch this week's episode.

[The Economist @TheEconomist]

Japan’s “ice-age” generation—workers who entered the labour market between 1993 and 2004—often endured years of insecure work and low pay. Now in their 40s and 50s, they are losing out again https://t.co/eFFGgMQW5b

Photo: Getty Images

[ProPublica @propublica]

The same climate experts whose model overestimated the potential of geological carbon storage have repeatedly underestimated solar power — one of the energy technologies that would allow more oil to remain in the ground.

Read more: https://t.co/VWmnD2xsPp

[ABC News @ABC]

Tens of thousands of people in northwest Indiana remain without power more than a week after deadly storms leveled trees and knocked down power lines across the region.

[Cato Institute @CatoInstitute]

A law lets people wronged by civil forfeiture recover their legal fees. But the government found a loophole: drop the case before losing, then deny the owner won. Cato filed a brief urging the Supreme Court to close it.

https://t.co/9Y4gBIY9SV

[Al Jazeera English @AJEnglish]

The US has imposed 50% tariffs on $20bn of Canadian imports, hitting industries including dairy, alcohol and clothing. The measures could raise prices, cut production and put Canadian jobs at risk.

Al Jazeera’s @dalya_masri reports.

[Bloomberg TV @BloombergTV]

Apollo Global Management Chief Economist Torsten Slok says AI’s early labor-market impact is showing up more in wages than jobs, with AI-exposed occupations seeing weaker wage growth.

Tune into this episode of Wall Street Week: https://t.co/9JfWKsaM48

[Financial Times @FT]

FT Exclusive: With less than three months until critical midterm elections when Congress will be up for grabs. More than half of US voters say they are worse off with Donald Trump in the White House, according to a new FT poll. https://t.co/OX0dAmgmdk

[Brett Amidon @MundaneAnalysis]

It is interesting to see this and watch China pour everything into AI as the USA stagnates on an at best pyrrhic war with Iran. https://t.co/7td4pgmxav

[Prof. Carl Sagan @ProfCarlSagan]

Carl Sagan in 1990 with a very compelling argument still relevant today.

[IMF @IMFNews]

Sovereign wealth funds have become some of the most powerful players in global finance, with $16 trillion in assets. Law should guide their operations and governance to ensure the institutions support financial stability. See our new blog. https://t.co/sK6yiwPOAT

[CNN @CNN]

Lake Powell, the second-largest reservoir in the United States, provides water and electricity to millions in the West. It has now shrunk to its lowest level on record, in the latest sign of the alarming crisis unfolding on the drought-stricken Colorado River. https://t.co/0HtbXEkbqH

[Saganism @Saganismm]

Carl Sagan : ‘What happens if the doctrine of a religion—Buddhism let’s say—is contradicted by some finding, some discovery—in science, let’s say—what does a believer in Buddhism do in that case?’

Dalai Lama: ‘For Buddhists that is not a problem. The Buddha himself made clear that the important thing is your own investigation. You should know the reality, no matter what the scripture says. In case you find a contradiction—opposite of the scriptures’ explanation—you should rely on that finding, rather than scripture.’

Carl Sagan: ‘So, that is very much like science?’

Dalai Lama: ‘Yes, that’s right. So I think that the basic Buddhist concept is that at the beginning it is worthwhile or better to remain skeptical. Then carry out experiments through external means as well as internal means. If through investigation things become clear and convincing, then it is time to accept or believe. If, through science, there is proof that after death there is no continuity of human mind, of life, then—theoretically speaking—Buddhists will have to accept that.’

— Carl Sagan's Interview with The Dalai Lama, 1991

[The Economist @TheEconomist]

The planet is getting hotter, and there’s an unexpected reason why. Earth’s albedo—which is a measure of how much sunlight it reflects back into space—is falling. This means Earth is absorbing more heat than it is emitting, and that could make warming in the coming years 10-30% higher than current estimates suggest. Find out why scientists are alarmed: https://t.co/R7KJiIxpaC

[60 Minutes @60Minutes]

The nation's largest reservoir, Lake Mead, has fallen to a record low.

In 2021, Bill Whitaker visited the Colorado River and reported on how millions of people depend on the water to drink, power their homes, and irrigate their farms. https://t.co/6rB72CY3PH

[The Intercept @theintercept]

The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation sued President Donald Trump and his staff Wednesday, challenging a Trump-owned media company’s plan to monetize the president’s social media posts.

[ProPublica @propublica]

New: Tennessee’s highest-security youth prisons are operated by a single private company. Former staff say they felt pressure to hide abuse and other serious incidents from the state and to handle medical emergencies without calling 911. https://t.co/yJ7gkXmU33

[The Nobel Prize @NobelPrize]

"I am one of the survivors of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. At the time, I was 13 years old, at home, around 3 kilometers east of ground zero.

It was August 9, 1945. I suddenly heard the buzzing sound of a bomber jet, and was soon after engulfed in a bright, white light. Surprised, I ran downstairs and got down on the floor, covering my eyes and ears with my hands. The next moment, an intense shock wave passed through our entire house. I have no memory of that moment, but when I came to my senses, I found myself under a large, glass sliding door. It was a miracle that none of the glass was broken, and I was somehow spared injuries.

Three days later, I sought out the families of my two aunts who lived in the area near the hypocenter. It was then that I saw the full devastation of the bombing of Nagasaki. Walking with my mother, we went around a small mountain. Reaching a pass, we looked down in horror. Blackened ruins spread out as far as the port of Nagasaki, some three kilometers away. Urakami Cathedral, the largest brick church in the East, had collapsed to the ground, leaving no trace.

All the houses along the path, down to the foot of the mountain, were burnt to the ground and corpses lay scattered around them. Many people who were badly injured or burned, but still alive, were left unattended, with no help whatsoever. I became almost devoid of emotion, somehow closing off my sense of humanity, and simply headed intently for my destination.

I found the charred body of one aunt at the remains of her house, 400 meters from the hypocenter, along with the body of her grandson, a university student.

The other aunt’s house had collapsed and become a pile of wood. My grandfather was crouched down, on the brink of death, with severe burns all over his body. My aunt had been severely burned, and died just before we arrived. We then cremated her remains with our own hands. My uncle, who was initially mostly unharmed, had left the area to seek help. Yet we later learned that he had collapsed at a rescue station, and died after suffering from a high fever for a week. Thus, one single atomic bomb transformed five of my relatives, so mercilessly, taking all of their lives in one fell swoop.

The deaths I witnessed at that time could hardly be described as human deaths. There were hundreds of people suffering in agony, unable to receive any kind of medical attention. I strongly felt that even in war, such killing and maiming must never be allowed to happen."

80 years ago a nuclear bomb was dropped on Terumi Tanaka's city of Nagasaki, Japan, killing an estimated 70,000 people. Today Terumi is 93 years old but nuclear weapons still threaten our world. Terumi tells his story to remind us of the inhumane suffering survivors were forced to endure and to secure the abolition of nuclear weapons, which must not be allowed to coexist with humanity.

Watch Terumi Tanaka's full testimony at https://t.co/kmKf2dXVQv

[ProPublica @propublica]

A decade ago, Florida stripped a teacher of her license for sexually abusing a 16-year-old.

Last year, she opened a private school there with ease.

As private schools multiply, states are choosing not to closely regulate who runs them or what they teach: https://t.co/WeqS8DrqlX

[United Nations Geneva @UNGeneva]

#IndigenousPeoples were among the first to notice our planet's changing climate. Their warnings and solutions deserve more recognition.

As record heatwaves hit all corners of the world, it’s high time to listen to their wisdom.🌏️

https://t.co/EWMdt0GeBd

[60 Minutes @60Minutes]

“Over the last 40 years, the United States has been exposed to something that our biology was never intended to handle,” warns former FDA Commissioner David Kessler. https://t.co/ZQFqI3Y0YK