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Dan Simmer

A look at the human toll of the construction of the Panama Canal : Code Switch

Author Cristina Henriquez next to the cover of her new novel, The Great Divide Brian McConkey/Ecco hide caption Author Cristina Henriquez next to the cover of

Vance's comments about European peacekeeping plan for Ukraine draw ire abroad

Vice President Vance speaks during a meeting with President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Feb. 28. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Some academic actuaries say we are not overestimating climate and biodiversity risks

Ed Note: This piece previously appeared on interest.co.nz. It is published here with the permission of the author. Some actuaries at the University of Exeter in the UK have partnered with a group of earth scientists to examine what they ter

(Some of) The Central Questions of Our Time

(Recorded February 25th, 2025) Description The period of relative peace and stability we’ve known – enabled by the energy surplus of the Carbon Pulse and the ecological stability of the Holocene – is slipping away. AI is turbocharging the

No matter what Elon Musk thinks, government cannot and should not be run like a business

There is a so-called U. S government “efficiency” drive currently underway delegated by President Donald Trump to unelected billionaire Elon Musk. Whether Musk has the authority to do what he is doing has become a matter for federal courts (for example, see here and here).

Electricity is more dangerous than you think

Alternating current or AC electric fields are invisible, physical fields of electromagnetic radiation that are present if there is electricity available. The electricity doesn’t have to be used, just available to be used. In the following, Dr.

Just Plant Trees? It’s Not So Simple

With the many converging crises, we are looking for a quick fix to our problems. Too much carbon dioxide in the air? Plant more trees. I hear that constantly. Yes, of course we need the trees. But planting trees is no longer the solution to the enormous level of emissions in our air.

The view from Greenland: 'We don't want to be Americans' : Consider This from NPR

Naaja Nathanielsen poses for a portrait in her office in Nuuk, Greenland on Feb. 20, 2025. Grace Widyatmadja/NPR hide caption President Trump's calls for the U.S.

The Gauntlet. Where is Thrutopia?

COP27 at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, 2022. Sean Kidney steps onto’ stage and prepares to deliver his opening remarks. He is the CEO and co-founder of the Climate Bonds Initiative, a climate finance NGO dedicated to turning bond markets and other financial sectors ‘green’.

Here's what to know about Germany's election this Sunday

People walk past a truck with an election campaign poster featuring Friedrich Merz, leader of conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), in Oberhausen, Germany, on Feb.

Arab leaders huddle in Saudi Arabia in pushback to Trump's Gaza plans

This handout picture shows (from L) Bahrain's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, Jordan's King Abdullah II, Egypt's President Abdel

Australia warns airlines to beware of Chinese naval exercises in the Tasman Sea

In this photo provided by the Australian Defense Force, the People's Liberation Army-Navy Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang travels in the Torres Strait off Australia's coast, on Feb. 11, 2025. AP/Royal Australian Navy/ADF hide caption MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia warned airlines flying between Australian airports and New Zealand on Friday to

USAID was also running covert operations for the CIA

The original mission of USAID was to provide support to developing countries in their efforts to acquire knowledge and resources essential to development. However, over time, the agency’s mission became corrupted and it was used as a tool for domestic political agendas and foreign covert operations by the State

The Light Triad

(Recorded February 12th, 2025) Description Deception and self-interest seem to be increasingly prevalent in our modern cultural reality. From the highest levels of power to the cultural metrics of what is considered ‘success’ for individual humans: the Dark Triad traits of Narcissism, Sociopathy, and Machiavellianism have become disturbingly normalized. But