Stewart and Colbert examine No Kings and Iran War

I return to more topical and timely posting today by sharing two monologues, beginning with Jon Stewart's No Kings Rallies Can’t Stop CPAC's Trump Glazing & Iran War Hits One Month | The Daily Show.

Happy one-monthiversary of the Iran war! With the Strait of Hormuz still closed, Jon Stewart examines how global shortages are hitting everything from grain to helium to pickleballs. Meanwhile, Americans flood the streets for the No Kings protests while CPAC throws Trump his own Yassss Kings rally. Plus, the U.S. finally has a detailed explanation of the president's objectives and exit strategy... for the White House ballroom.

As much as the war coverage's angle annoys Stewart, I understand why the U.S. news media is framing the economic disruption of the war through loss of luxuries. As I repeated most recently in Silly and serious closer looks at Trump taking over the Kennedy Center, "the surest way to get Americans to act is to mess with their entertainm­ent. As I first wrote in 2011, 'America is quite clear about its screwed up priorities­.'" While Stewart and Colbert are turning the war into comedy, disruptions to supply chains will deprive many of their treats. They won't like that but it will get Americans' attention.

Trump switching from the Iran War to the East Wing ballroom reminds me of what I wrote in Closer looks at Iran from Stewart, Colbert, Meyers, and Kimmel.

"I don't get bored." Oh, then why is he talking about ballrooms and drapes? Because he's been doing that since Surviving at the Top, the sequel to The Art of the Deal.

In a Yahoo News essay, Leerhsen describes the Trump he worked with from 1988 to 1990 as mostly "bored out of his mind," a "failing real estate developer who had little idea of what he was doing and less interest in doing it once he'd held the all-important press conference."

Trump was making huge, outrageously leveraged, financially ruinous deals, but day-to-day, he spent "surprisingly large" amounts of time "looking at fabric swatches," Leerhsen writes. "Indeed, flipping through fabric swatches seemed at times to be his main occupation," and "some days he would do it for hours," probably because fabric swatches "were within his comfort zone — whereas, for example, the management of hotels and airlines clearly wasn't."

Leerhsen elaborated Thursday evening on CNN. "At this time, like, things were really going to hell in his business," but "in the center of that was this quiet office where he was going through fabric swatches most of the day, and in the middle of all this Sturm und Drang, he was oblivious to it," he told Erin Burnett.

Nearly 40 years later, he hasn't changed, except to get older and more set in his ways

.Now we know he's like that with pens.

Stephen Colbert made light of the same subjects last night in Millions March Against Trump’s War & Deportations | Trump's Improv War | Global Helium Crisis.

Over eight million people marched in the third "No Kings" protest, President Trump appears to be making up his Iran war strategy on-the-fly, and the war is causing global economic pain and shortages of resources like helium.

I attended the local No Kings and I'm glad to have been part of the largest protest since the first Earth Day — eight million people! Here's to the next one having ten million.

The contradictory announcements for the war remind me of something else I wrote early this month.

Twenty-five years ago, one of my reactions to 9-11 was to look at Bush the Younger's administration and be reassured that at least these people, particularly Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and Colin Powell, knew how to fight a war, no matter what my other opinions were of them. It took me two years, after it became obvious they were botching the occupation of Iraq, to figure out that they didn't really have a plan for an occupied Iraq beyond shock doctrine. I have no such illusions about Donald "Hoover Harding Cleveland" Trump and Pete Hegseth; it's obvious from the get-go that they don't have a plan at all beyond being so intimidating that Iran just backs down. That's not happening. Once again, the voices Trump listens to, both inside and outside his head, are not reliable sources.

What about the ballroom? That's right here in Trump Reveals New Ballroom Photos.

President Trump reacted quickly after The New York Times criticized the architectural plans for his White House ballroom.

HA! I wish it would have those features!

That's a wrap for today's post and March's blogging. Stay tuned for April Fools Day!

J.D. Vance gets the 'Last Week Tonight' treatment

Today's post I plan on sharing in April, no fooling, features J.D. Vance: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO).

John Oliver discusses J.D. Vance, what he really believes, who he is without Donald Trump, and – most importantly – what he looks like without a beard.

I begin my reaction by recycling from Dailyshowographies of Tim Walz and JD Vance plus 'The Daily Show's Emmy Awards.

Vance's opportunism and misogyny shine right through this satirical biography. As for Hillbilly Elegy, it's one of the rare films that earned both Oscar and Razzie nominations. While I'm not sure about Glenn Close's Razzie nomination (fortunately, she didn't win), I am sure about Worst Screenplay, which earned Vanessa Taylor, but not Vance, a nomination. I think leaving Vance off the nomination was an oversight.

John Oliver certainly had something to say about Hillbilly Elegy, including Glenn Close's Razzie nomination; maybe she did deserve it, although I'm still glad she didn't win. As for Vance's opportunism, that shines through even brighter. On the other hand, different bigotries eclipse his misogyny, especially racism and anti-immigrant sentiment, never mind that Vance's wife Usha is the daughter of Indian immigrants.

Oliver bringing up Peter Thiel reminds me of what I wrote about him in Yahoo! News asks 'How does the 25th Amendment work?' A Veep Day special.

Vance would be less erratic (mercurial would be a polite way of saying it) and not driven by Hoover Cleveland's obsessions with tariffs, grifts, and revenge, but he'd be more likely to implement the parts of Project 2025 that Hoover Cleveland hasn't yet. He'd also be more under the influence of Palantir founder Peter Thiel, his pet bad philosopher Curtis Yarvin, and Palantir CEO Alex Karp. They're the sources of what I called "cyberpunk villain ideas straight out of Snow Crash..." Vance can certainly learn new tricks, but I worry about the ones Thiel, Yarvin, and Karp could teach him. They might be worse.

I mentioned some of those bad ideas in Rachel Maddow examines Curtis Yarvin, one of JD Vance's influences.

Listening to Yarvin and Vance talk about replacing American institutions, including democratic governance, reminds me of David Frum's warning that I quoted in 'The Daily Show,' Vox, and CBS News explain QAnon, silly to serious examinations of a conspiracy theory: "If conservatives become convinced that they can not win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. They will reject democracy." Yarvin, Thiel, and Vance are proving Frum right.

They still are.

Oliver pointing out Vance's role in Donald "Hoover Harding Cleveland" Trump dropping "They're eating the dogs. They're eating the cats" in the middle of a debate reminds me of what I wrote then.

As for Trump AKA Hoover Cleveland repeating the fiction of Haitian immigrants eating pets, it's another example of his vulnerability to conspiracy theories. He still hasn't learned that the voices he's listening to aren't reliable sources. This includes JD Vance.

That hasn't stopped Hoover Harding Cleveland from listening to them.

By the way, I was waiting for Oliver to make a couch joke, which gives me a chance to recycle what I wrote in Colbert, 'The Daily Show,' Meyers, and Kimmel take closer looks at the shutdown.

As for the meme with JD Vance making love to a couch, it reminds me that there is a game called Date Everything! Everything includes a couch named Koa, and there is already a meme of it/him with Vance.

A comedy sketch about Vance wouldn't be complete without a couch joke!

Finally, hearing Vance obsessing about childless Americans, divorce, and abortion reminds me that Listening to people worry about lower birthrates on World Population Day is enough to drive me to drink on National Mojito Day. That's coded misogyny. It's also a post I'll feature when I examine last year's top posts about holidays.

Enough about Vance. Follow over the jump for the most read posts featuring John Oliver during the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News.

My Saturn Awards votes and predictions vs. the winners

I closed Stats for the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News on Flashback Friday by telling my readers "Stay tuned for this year's version of My Saturn Awards preferences and predictions vs. the winners for Flashback Friday as the Sunday entertainment feature." Here are my votes from 'Plur1bus' vs. 'Alien: Earth' and 'Star Wars: Skeleton Crew' for Best New Genre Series at the Saturn Awards along with predictions I made throughout the series compared to the winners.


FILM AWARDS
Best Action / Adventure Film: My vote, One Battle After Another. My prediction, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. Winner, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. That's O.K., I voted for the Oscar winner for Best Picture.
Best Actor in a Film: My vote, Michael B. Jordan (Sinners). My prediction, none. Winner, Tom Cruise. I'm not surprised, but still I voted for the Oscar winner.
Best Actress in a Film: My vote, Emma Stone (Bugonia). My prediction, none. Winner, Elle Fanning (Predator: Badlands). That came as a surprise.
Best Animated Film: My vote, KPop Demon Hunters. My prediction, Zootopia 2. Winner, Zootopia 2.
Best Cinematic Film Adaptation: My vote, Superman. My prediction, Fantastic Four: First Steps. Winner, Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Best Fantasy Film: My vote, Wicked: For Good. My prediction, Wicked: For Good. Winner, Wicked: For Good.
Best Film Costume Design: My vote, Wicked: For Good. My prediction, Frankenstein. Winner, Frankenstein. Not surprised, as it won the Oscar.
Best Film Direction: My vote, Ryan Coogler (Sinners). My prediction, James Cameron (Avatar: Fire and Ash). Winner, James Cameron (Avatar: Fire and Ash).
Best Film Editing: My vote, Sinners. My prediction, Sinners. Winner, Sinners.
Best Film Make Up: My vote, Frankenstein. My prediction, Frankenstein. Winner, Frankenstein.
Best Film Music: My vote, Sinners. My prediction, Sinners. Winner, Tron: Ares. Surprise! In fact, it was such a surprise I didn't even bother to embed any music from it in 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' leads Best Science Fiction Film nominees at the Saturn Awards. I'll make up for it today.
Best Film Production Design: My vote, Wicked: For Good. My prediction, Frankenstein. Winner, Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Best Film Screenwriting: My vote, Ryan Coogler (Sinners). My prediction, none. Winner, James Cameron (Avatar: Fire and Ash). Not surprised, but I still voted for the Oscar winner.
Best Film Visual / Special Effects: My vote, Avatar: Fire and Ash. My prediction, Avatar: Fire and Ash. Winner, Avatar: Fire and Ash.
Best Horror Film: My vote, Frankenstein. My prediction, Frankenstein. Winner, Frankenstein.
Best Independent Film: My vote, Dust Bunny. My prediction, Dust Bunny. Winner, Dust Bunny.
Best International Animated Film: My vote, Ne Zha 2. My prediction, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle. Winner, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle.
Best International Film: My vote, Bring Her Back. My prediction, Sisu 2: Road to Revenge. Winner, Sisu 2: Road to Revenge.
Best Science Fiction Film: My vote, Avatar: Fire and Ash. My prediction, Avatar: Fire and Ash. Winner, Avatar: Fire and Ash.
Best Supporting Actor in a Film: My vote, Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein). My prediction, Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein). Winner, Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein).
Best Supporting Actress in a Film: My vote, My vote, Ariana Grande (Wicked: For Good). My prediction, Amy Madigan. Winner, Sigourney Weaver.
Best Thriller Film: My vote, Sinners. My prediction, Sinners. Winner, Sinners.
Best Younger Performer in a Film: My vote, Miles Caton (Sinners). My prediction, none, but I mentioned Jack Champion. Winner, Jack Champion.



TELEVISION AWARDS
Best Action / Adventure Television Series: My vote, Paradise. My prediction, Cobra Kai or Twisted Metal. Winner, Duster.
Best Actor in a Television Series: My vote, Adam Scott (Severance). My prediction, Diego Luna, Sam Heughan or Norman Reedus. Winner, Diego Luna.
Best Actress in a Television Series: My vote, Rhea Seehorn (Pluribus). My prediction, none. Winner, Rhea Seehorn (Pluribus).
Best Animated Television Series or Special: My vote, Harley Quinn. My prediction, Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld. Winner, Predator: Killer of Killers.
Best Fantasy Television Series: My vote, Stranger Things. My prediction, Outlander. Winner, Outlander.
Best Guest Star in a Television Series: My vote, Linda Hamilton (Stranger Things). My prediction, Paul Wesley. Winner, Dave Dastmalchian.
Best Horror Television Series: My vote, The Last of Us. My prediction, It: Welcome to Derry. Winner, It: Welcome to Derry.
Best New Genre Television Series: My vote, Pluribus. My prediction, Pluribus, Alien: Earth, or Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. Winner, Pluribus.
Best Science Fiction Television Series: My vote, Severance. My prediction, Andor or Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Winner, Andor.
Best Superhero Television Series: My vote, Peacemaker. My prediction, Peacemaker. Winner, Peacemaker.
Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series: My vote, Stellan Skarsgard (Andor). My prediction, Stellan Skarsgard. Winner, Stellan Skarsgard.
Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series: My vote, Julianne Nicholson (Paradise). My prediction, Uma Thurman. Winner, Karolina Wydra.
Best Television Presentation or Limited Series: My vote, The Pitt. My prediction, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. Winner, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.
Best Thriller Television Series: My vote, Dark Winds. My prediction, Dexter: Resurrection. Winner, Dexter: Resurrection.
Best Young Performer in a Television Series: My vote, Sadie Sink (Stranger Things). My prediction, none. Winner, Ravi Cabot-Conyers (Star Wars: Skeleton Crew).


HOME ENTERTAINMENT AWARDS
Best 4K Home Media Release: My vote, Wicked. My prediction, none. Winner, Wicked.
Best Classic Film Home Media Release: My vote, Night of the Living Dead 1990 (Sony). My prediction, none. Winner, Frailty (Lionsgate Home Video).
Best Film Home Media Collection: My vote, 007: James Bond – Sean Connery 6 Film Collection (Warner Bros.). My prediction, none. Winner, The Pink Panther Peter Sellers Comedy Collection (Kino Lorber).
Best Television Home Media Release: My vote, The Penguin Season 1 (Warner Bros.). My prediction, none. Winner, Chucky: The Complete Series (Universal).

Now the music video from Tron: Ares I didn't embed at the end of January, Tron: Ares | Nine Inch Nails | “As Alive As You Need Me To Be” to acknowledge its award.

The Tron: Ares soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails is out now featuring the song "As Alive As You Need Me To Be".

Congratulations to Trent Reznor and the rest of the winners!

Follow over the jump for the story of the most viewed post during the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News.

Silly and serious closer looks on gas prices, a driving update

I closed Stats for the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News on Flashback Friday by telling my readers, "Stay tuned for another retrospective, which will also be a driving update, just like last year." Today's topic is the rising price of gas because of the war with Iran. I begin the silly in "silly and serious" by sharing Trump’s Gas Prices Cold Open - SNL.

President Trump (James Austin Johnson) and Pete Hegseth (Colin Jost) address the rising cost of gas in the United States.

Still works, two weeks later. So does Trump Voter Rips Him Over Soaring Gas Prices, MAGA Says High Prices Are a “Sacrifice”: A Closer Look from Late Night with Seth Meyers.

Seth takes a closer look at oil and gas prices continuing to soar amid the war in Iran, while Donald Trump and MAGA now insist that paying higher prices is a patriotic duty.

I'm glad one of Donald "Hoover Harding Cleveland" Trump's voters has figured out what he is. It only took ten years.

Now for a serious update from NewsNation, Market tumbles as gas prices continue to climb | Morning in America, uploaded just this morning.

Wall Street is reacting to the war in the Middle East after stocks tumbled Friday to close at their lowest level in over seven months. The Dow Jones, S&P and Nasdaq have all seen continued declines since the start of "Operation Epic Fury" one month ago. NewsNation’s Alicia Nieves shows “Morning in America with Hena Doba” how the market shifts are driving sticker shock at the gas pump.

Welcome to energy prices as examples of "Everything is connected to everything else" and "There is no free lunch."

That's the big picture. I begin my personal update by sharing that my wife suggested I fill up Pearl the Prius the morning after the initial attack and I did; I've seen this movie before and I knew what was coming. I was only surprised that people weren't panic buying and that prices hadn't risen - yet. I was able to drive on that tank for the past four weeks. I was not looking forward to filling up, but did so anyway after attending the nearest No Kings demonstration today and felt lucky to pay just less than 4.00/gallon. How are gas prices where you are?

Follow over the jump for the rest of my personal driving update and the three most read driving update posts during the 2025-2026 blogging year.

Stats for the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News on Flashback Friday

Happy Flashback Friday! I closed For Wayback Wednesday, PBS Eons asks 'What Killed All These Pterosaurs?' by telling my readers "I'll get to the stats for the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News on Flashback Friday..." Without any further ado, here is the first retrospective of the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News.

As of 11:59 PM EDT March 20, 2026, this blog had a lifetime total of 10,896,134 page views, 6,536 posts, and 4,274 comments. Minus the 5,222,122 page views, 6,168 total posts, and 4,180 comments as of just before March 21, 2025, that means this blog earned 5,674,012 page views and 94 published comments on 368 posts during the 365 days of the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News. My calculated page views round to the ~5,670,000 page views Blogger's counter showed during the past twelve months. I can't ask for any better given the level of precision available, so not only closer than last year, but as exact as I could measure. On the other hand, the 94 published comments are not at all close to the 125 comments Blogger showed on my dashboard. On the other hand, I can account for the 31 comment difference; all of them are spam that was never published or retroactively unpublished. The stats worked out this year!

Last year's trend of increasing page views continued. Not only did this past year's 5,674,012 page views on 368 posts during 365 days beat the year before's 758,914 page views on 370 posts during 365 days, it beat the year before that's 419,300 page views on 641,234 page views on 380 posts during 366 days. It also exceeded the page views during the entire preceding 14 years. Wow! I had written "May the trend" of "working less hard for more page views" continue, but this was beyond any of my expectations. The blog averaged 15,418.51 page views per post and 15,545.24 page views per day. That's nearly eight times as much as the 2,051.12 page views per post and 2,079.22 page views per day during the 14th year of the blog, the 1,687.46 page views per post and 1,752.01 page views per day the blog earned between March 21, 2023 and March 20, 2024 and the 1,106.33 page views per post and 1,148.77 page views per day between March 21, 2022 and March 20, 2023. I'm not expecting the trend of increasing page views per post and day to continue. I'd just be happy if the 16th year exceeds the 14th.

Both the published and total comments decreased from 123 to 94 and either 154 or 133 to 125, respectively. The published number is still above the 78 of two years ago, but the raw number has decreased from 199 through either 154 or 133 to 125. Since I don't have comment goals, I'm not concerned.

As for my commenters who aren't spammers, I'd like to thank them, beginning with continuing commenters Infidel753, Paul W., and Steve in Manhattan. I also want to welcome back K-dog and Degringolade, who didn't comment last year. Keep up the good work! I also want to thank Richard, Glen Tomkins, and fry1laurie for making their first posts here. Stick around! The exception is Riverboat Grambler, who pissed me off. Don't come back, Grumbler! Unfortunately, I seem to have lost longtime commenters Nebris, the first commenter on my blog, and Friend of the Court. In addition, last year's first-time commenters John R. Christiansen, E.A. Blair, and Steven C. Di Pietro didn't return. Come back, I miss you!

Follow over the jump for the rest of the analysis.

NASA announces plan for Moon base

Happy Throwback Thursday! Today's trip isn't to the past, but to the future as NBC News reports NASA announces $20 billion plan for a moon base.

NASA announced plans to construct a $20 billion base on the moon’s surface over the next seven years, according to its new chief Jared Isaacman. NBC News' Brian Cheung talks to Director of Government Relations for the Planetary Society Jack Kiraly about what this plan could mean for the space industry.

ABC News has more in What to know about NASA's 3 phase plan for a moon base.

The Planetary Society's Casey Dreier unpacks NASA's ambitious plans to build a permanent base on the moon and what that means for the future of space exploration.

I'm a space enthusiast, so I'm thrilled at this news. I'm also not terribly surprised. I thought space would be one of the few, if not the only, areas where Donald "Hoover Harding Cleveland" Trump would do something I agreed with and was good for the country nine years ago. He delivered, sort of, in his first administration. Just the same, I'm glad NBC and ABC had The Planetary Society comment, not NASA. I trust the civil servants there, but I'm not sure I'd trust its spokespeople, not in this administration.

All this hinges on a successful Artemis II mission, which is scheduled to happen next week. I'll be covering that. In the meantime, stay tuned for stats!

For Wayback Wednesday, PBS Eons asks 'What Killed All These Pterosaurs?'

Happy Wayback Wednesday! Yesterday, I told my readers to "Stay tuned to see if I post the first retrospective of the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News..." I just don't have time to do that today. Instead, I'm looking at another kind of wayback by sharing PBS Eons asking What Killed All These Pterosaurs?

At the Solnhofen formation in Germany, over 500 fossils of 15 pterosaur species have been found. But it might be hiding a dark secret, one that’s been massively distorting our view of who was living and dying there, and why they left so much evidence behind.

I couldn't resist this video, not only because it exemplifies looking way back, but also because it mentioned Rancho La Brea and it promotes a book on topic for the original theme of this blog: The Book: The Ultimate Guide to Rebuilding Civilization: survival & rebuilding strategies revealed. Perfect!

I'll get to the stats for the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News on Flashback Friday following another brief educational entry tomorrow for Throwback Thursday. In the meantime, here is Wednesday Addams, the mascot for Wayback Wednesday.

'The Fall of Bahama Breeze,' a tale of the Retail Apocalypse

Today's "brief educational entry...I can share next month" is another tale of the Retail Apocalypse, The Fall of Bahama Breeze Poseidon Entertainment.

Wait, really? A video on Bahama Breeze? While it might be forgotten among other chain restaurants, I think that this is still a loss for themed entertainment and I discovered a level of depth here that I didn't anticipate. As weird as it sounds, I'm somewhat sad about the closing of this chain, so join me today as we discuss the fall of Bahama Breeze.

Like Poseidon Entertainment, I will miss Bahama Breeze. My wife and I have dined at both of the nearby locations in Troy, which closed last year, and Livonia, which will close next month. Both were fun places with good food. In fact, I had the conch fritters and mahi-mahi at the Troy location when my wife and I dined there more than a decade ago. I'm sorry we won't be able to repeat that experience.

For a broader perspective, I turn to Cory At Random, who uploaded Bahama Breeze Is Shutting Down — Why the Caribbean Chain Couldn’t Survive last month.

After nearly thirty years in business, Bahama Breeze is closing its doors.

Parent company Darden Restaurants announced it will shut down the remaining twenty-eight locations, with half closing permanently and the other half being converted into different Darden-owned brands over the next twelve to eighteen months. The final day of operations for Bahama Breeze will be April fifth.

This video breaks down why Bahama Breeze is disappearing while other Darden brands like Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse continue to grow. We look at how inflation, shrinking disposable income, and changing dining habits reshaped the casual dining landscape, and why experience-driven chains have struggled to compete in a value-focused market.

Bahama Breeze wasn’t a sudden failure. It was a brand built for a different era of dining, one that thrived on atmosphere and escape. This is the full context behind why it’s ending, and what its closure says about the future of casual dining in America.

It's not just Bahama Breeze. Ruby Tuesday, Red Lobster, TGI Fridays, and Hooters have all suffered from the changing economic environment and consumer tastes. At least Bahama Breeze's parent company, Darden Restaurants, is doing well, especially with Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse.

Since both Poseidon Entertainment and I mentioned conch fritters, I'm closing with Bahama Breeze: Conch Fritters from the chain's YouTube channel.

Bahama Breeze demonstrates how to make delicious conch fritters using the unique conch meat.

At least I know where to find the recipe should I ever want to eat conch fritters again.

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned to see if I post the first retrospective of the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News tomorrow for Wayback Wednesday.

The United Nations on Water for All People for a late World Water Day

I closed Drink to the Marche du Nain Rouge by telling my readers "I might observe World Water Day late, or skip it until next year. Stay tuned to find out." I decided celebrating World Water Day was the path of least resistance, so I'm sharing three videos from the United Nations beginning with The UN World Water Development Report 2026 - Water for All People: Equal Rights and Opportunities from the UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme.

We are experiencing a global water crisis: 2.1 billion people still lack access to safely managed drinking water. Despite decades of progress, girls and women are still the hardest hit.

Gender-based inequalities related to the access, use, management and governance of water resources have hindered progress towards fulfilling the human right to water and most Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Titled Water for All People: Equal Rights and Opportunities, the 2026 edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report offers a comprehensive, evidence-based examination of the linkages between, and progress towards, water and gender equality.

That's the long version. Here's the teaser.

Although tangible progress in the provision of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services has been made, significant disparities persist. The poorest and most vulnerable of the world’s population remain the most affected, where women and girls still bear most of the responsibility for securing water to households. This leads to physical and mental stress, limiting their time and opportunities for education, productive work, and social activities.

The UN World Water Development Report 2026, Water for all people: Equal rights and opportunities, emphasizes available data and actionable solutions to promote gender equality throughout the water sector.

I close with Director General Message on World Water Day 2026 [EN] from IOM - UN Migration.


I think it's a good idea to combine World Water Day with Women's History Month, even if that wasn't the United Nations' intention. It's a good example of one of Commoner's Laws, "Everything is connected to everything else." The opportunity cost to women and girls who have to spend time fetching water and other water-related tasks also serves as an example of another of Commoner's Laws, "There is no free lunch." This may be the last year I teach environmental science, but it's never too late to learn new facts and ideas I can pass along to students. Welcome to blogging as professional development.

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for a brief educational entry tomorrow I can share next month.

Drink to the Marche du Nain Rouge

I closed Happy Nowruz and happy 15th birthday to Crazy Eddie's Motie News by telling my readers to "Stay tuned for Marche du Nain Rouge as the Sunday entertainment feature." Without any further ado, I'm sharing CBS Detroit reporting on last year's event, This Midtown Detroit parade honors the city's culture and mythology.

Since 2010, the Marche du Nain Rouge has drawn thousands of people to Midtown Detroit each year in a vibrant celebration of community.

I started this blog in 2011, but it took me until 2013 to begin covering the Marche du Nain Rouge. That written, I've been blogging about it long enough that I can say I'm an early adopter.

This year's parade has just stepped off and Pure Michigan is promoting it in Marche du Nain Rouge Parade.

A festival where creativity wins and the evil spirits are chased away.

I can imagine the after parties. That way, I don't have to attend!

Both of these videos assume some knowledge of the Nain Rouge. I'm sharing Halloween Cocktails 2025: The Lore of the Nain Rouge both to get my new readers up to speed and because I can't resist a good, or at least competent, cocktail recipe video that includes supernatural lore.

Happy Halloween, friends! The lore we are bringing you this wonderful Halloween weekend is based around a Detroit legend known as the Nain Rouge...

I wonder if any of today's after parties are serving one or more of these drinks. Whether or not, drink responsibly!

That's a wrap for today's post. I might observe World Water Day late, or skip it until next year. Stay tuned to find out.

Happy Nowruz and happy 15th birthday to Crazy Eddie's Motie News

Nowruz Mubarak! Happy International Day of Nowruz AKA Persian New Year and happy 15th birthday of this blog! This year's celebration feels different because of the war with Iran. Fox 5 Morning News in San Diego anchor Shally Zomorodi felt it, too, in Happy Nowruz!

Fox 5 Morning News celebrates Nowruz, the Persian New Year.

I'm with you, Shally.

I'm moving on to the blog's 15th birthday, because lingering more on Nowruz would make me even sadder. On that note, I'm sharing a childhood memory in video form, Put Another Candle on My Birthday Cake - Sheriff John Birthday Song sung by Bruce Kaplan (Claudia and Bruce).

Claudia Russell and Bruce Kaplan perform their version of the Sheriff John Birthday Song aka the Birthday Polka. If you're from Los Angeles and grew up in the 1950s and early 60s, you very likely know this song.

Unless you grew up in Los Angeles during the 1950s and 1960s, you probably don't know who Sheriff John is, so I'll let Wikipedia explain.

Sheriff John was an American children's television host who appeared on KTTV in Los Angeles from July 18, 1952, to July 10, 1970, on two separate series, Sheriff John's Lunch Brigade and Sheriff John's Cartoon Time. He was played by John Rovick[1] who served as a radio operator-gunner in the United States Army Air Corps in World War II, surviving 50 combat missions in the European Theater of Operations. After the war he became a radio announcer, moving to television in its early days. He developed the program's concept himself.

As Sheriff John he began each program entering his office, singing "Laugh and be happy, and the world will laugh with you." He then said the Pledge of Allegiance and read a safety bulletin. He showed cartoons including Q.T. Hush, Underdog, Crusader Rabbit, and Porky Pig; he was often visited by farm animals.[2] An artist, Sketchbook Suzie, drew pictures requested by viewers; he would complete squiggles sent by the children and make a squiggle for them to complete. He also gave them lessons on safety and good health habits.

The show's highlight was the birthday celebration. Sheriff John read as many as 100 names, then brought out a cake and sang the Birthday Party Polka ("Put Another Candle on my Birthday Cake").

I used to watch this show every day after school and have fond memories of it, so when I saw YouTube recommend this video, I knew immediately that it would be today's song. I especially couldn't resist because Claudia and I dated in 1987 when we both worked at the Tar Pits.* It's good to see her again.

That's a wrap for today's double (triple if one counts today as Twitter/X's 20th birthday) celebration. Stay tuned for Marche du Nain Rouge as the Sunday entertainment feature.

*Yes, Claudia is an ex-girlfriend, but she's not the ex-girlfriend I usually mention. As I've written many times, the latter lived in Canada while we were dating, while Claudia and I were both living in Los Angeles. Coincidentally, both have since moved to the San Francisco Bay area. I would find it ironically funny if they have encountered each other while not knowing they both know me.

1993 Cadets 'In the Spring, At the Time When Kings Go Off to War,' for a drum corps Vernal Equinox

Happy Vernal Equinox! After last year's TED-Ed on 'The Rite of Spring,' 'The ballet that incited a riot,' for the Vernal Equinox, I'm returning to the Cadets to make today one of my drum corps holidays. Watch Jeff Gray's upload of 1993 Cadets Finals (High Quality).

The Cadets present their 1993 program, "In the Spring, At the Time When Kings Go Off to War". Selections include:
In the Spring, When Kings Go Off to War; Ballet Sacra & On a Hymn song of Philip Bliss
All by David Holsinger

Drum Corps International (DCI) added context in its official upload, Spotlight: 1993 Cadets.

The Cadets' Championship-winning 1993 production, "In the Spring, At the Time When Kings Go Off to War," brought a medieval battle to the football field.

Speaking of official uploads, I'm sharing Cadets History - 1993 from The Cadets account in case Jeff Gray's video gets taken down.

"In the Spring, At the Time When Kings Go Off to War" In the Spring, When Kings Go Off to War, Ballet Sacra, On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss

Finished 1st - 97.400

That's a wrap for both today's post and the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News. Stay tuned for Nowruz and this blog's birthday.

Hank Green explains why 'Coal is Extremely Dumb'

I wrote, "I really don't like coal" but didn't explain why last week. Hank Green explains for me in Coal is Extremely Dumb.

It feels kinda silly to make this video but there are still people super focused on coal and it just feels like they haven't listened to any of the people who know exactly why coal is just not going to be a part of our future power mix, and why that actually has nothing to do with the environment.

I had a feeling "people super focused on coal" referred to Donald "Hoover Harding Cleveland" Trump, who is choosing an old technology, coal and other fossil fuels, over a newer one, renewables. Hank confirmed it at 11:24 when he showed an executive order of Hoover Harding Cleveland's, then talked about how people who still support coal believe anything that is different from the way things were in 1985 is "woke," making his rant a twenty-minute subtweet. I'm more than OK with that.

Rant or not, I learned a lot from Hank, including about combined-cycle power plants, lead being in coal exhaust along with mercury and radioactive materials, and this graph, which I can show to my students.


Welcome to blogging as professional development.

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for the Vernal Equinox, the last post of the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News.

SciShow asks 'Tylenol Is Made From Crude Oil. Can We Change That?'

Global Recycling Day inspired the topic of today's "educational post I can share next month," SciShow asking Tylenol Is Made From Crude Oil. Can We Change That?

A lot more depends on fossil fuels than you might expect. Like your medicine cabinet. No, not the plastic pill bottles… the pills /themselves/ might be derived from crude oil. It might be possible to change that and use plastic instead, but we'll need some unexpected help.

Hosted by: Jaida Elcock (she/her)

Jaida Elcock's reminder that Tylenol is safe is a call back to SciShow asks 'What’s the Truth about Acetaminophen and Autism?' It's not just plastic that needs to be recycled; facts that fight misinformation need to be recycled as well!

Also, this video reminds me that the Commoner's Laws lessons about pollution, "Everything must go somewhere (There is no away)" and "There is no free lunch" about the problem and "Nature knows best" for the solutions, also apply to recycling. "Everything is connected to everything else?" Hey, this video connected plastic pollution and recycling to drug chemistry and manufacturing, so it hit all four laws!

That's a wrap for today's post. I'll have more to say about recycling no later than America Recycles Day. In the meantime, stay tuned for another brief educational entry I can share next month, followed by the Vernal Equinox.

Storied tells 'The Unbelievably Tragic Story of Cú Chulainn' for St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I'm returning to PBS Storied for today, but instead of a monster, I'm sharing a video about a hero. Watch Storied tell The Unbelievably Tragic Story of Cú Chulainn | Fate & Fabled.

In Irish folklore, Cú Chulainn was one of the greatest warriors ever to live. From his first battle against a vicious hound at the age of 6 to his last against an entire army just two decades later, Cú Chulainn lived a legendary, but short life. Some might call him a tragic hero, but is it tragic to get everything you ever wanted?

No, Dr. Moiya McTier, it's not really tragic. Cursed and blessed at the same time, maybe, but not any more tragic than the story of El Cid, which the ending reminds me of.

YouTube recommended The Blood of Cu Chulainn (Official Music Video) | Jeff Danna & Mychael Danna after watching Storied's video, so I'm embedding it.

The Blood Of Cu Chulainn Official Music Video by Jeff Danna and Mychael Danna...

The Blood of Cu Chulainn has become known as the Theme to The Boondock Saints films, but was first released on Jeff Danna and Mychael Danna's 1998 album, A Celtic Romance: Legend of Liadain and Curithir.

I couldn't resist the music, animals, and landscapes, although as a biologist and geologist, I could tell that many of the latter are not Irish. No matter, they're pretty and fit the music.

I close with The Best ST. PATRICK’S Day Cocktails from Everyday Cocktails.

Get ready to celebrate ST. PATRICK’S Day with the most viral green cocktails!

These drinks are festive, fun, creamy, and refreshing — perfect for your St. Patrick’s Day party. Whether you’re hosting friends or celebrating at home, these cocktails will bring the luck of the Irish straight to your glass!

He's not Tipsy Bartender, but he said "And there you have it" to make up for it.

That's a wrap for today's holiday. Stay tuned for an educational post I can share next month.

Vox explains why 'The banana is under threat'

I begin today's educational post I can share next month, I'm recycling the opening of Vice News on the 'Bananapocalypse: Why Bananas May Go Extinct'.

I first wrote "the dessert bananas people eat are threatened by fungus because of the unintended effects of growing monocultures of clones" ten years ago, and I haven't stopped warning my students about it since. It's right up there with bees as a story I tell my students, although I write about bees a lot more here than bananas. The last time was 2021 and the time before that was 2014. The latter was an audition for a video to show my students instead of "The Top Banana" trailer, and it failed. They decided that they liked the more fun teaser for a documentary that never happened than the more informative Seeker video. I didn't even try the Business Insider video. I'm planning on trying again with Bananapocalypse: Why Bananas May Go Extinct by Vice News.

I think I showed the Vice News video once three years ago and it didn't get nearly the reaction that "The Top Banana" regularly gets, so the latter stayed in my lectures on biodiversity as natural capital. I plan on trying one more time with Vox explaining why The banana is under threat.

Bananas are one of the world’s most popular fruits. They’re a staple crop in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In the US, the average person eats more than 25 pounds of bananas per year.

The banana found in nearly every lunch bag, smoothie, and cereal is likely a Cavendish banana (a single variety that accounts for 99 percent of global exports), despite there being over 1,000 different species of bananas. This kind of uniformity is what allows the beloved banana to be cheap, durable, and ubiquitous.

It also makes them extremely vulnerable.

A variant of Panama disease, a soil fungus that once wiped out the world’s most commercial banana, the Gros Michel, in the 1950s, is back. And this time, there’s no obvious replacement for it waiting around the corner. So what will it take to save one of the world’s most beloved fruits?

This video explores how monocropping became both a blessing and a curse in the search for the most commercially viable banana, how this assumed ubiquity could lead to the end of the banana as we know it, and what scientists are doing to prevent the extinction of the Cavendish.

Between giving up the Cavendish for other varieties of bananas or accepting genetically modified Cavendish bananas, I'd bet on Americans accepting GMO Cavendish bananas first. We already eat a lot of GMOs in our corn and especially soybeans and have for years.


The rest of the world may not be so accepting and might be persuaded to expand the diversity of the bananas they eat.

This video reminds me of another Vox video I show to my students right after "The Top Banana" trailer, The race to save endangered foods.

Wild animals aren’t the only ones facing extinction.
...
We’re letting foods we’ve eaten for thousands of years disappear from farmers’ fields, and from our plates. Saving them isn’t just a matter of cultural preservation. In the next 30 years, we’re going to need to learn how to feed more people on a hotter planet, and the more genetic varieties we lose, the harder it’ll be to adapt.

To learn more about the foods facing extinction in the US and around the world, check out the Ark of Taste, a project of Slow Food USA.

Journalist Mark Shapiro’s book, Seeds of Resistance, goes into much more detail about the risk that genetic homogeneity poses to our food supply. He also profiles some of the efforts, many led by indigenous communities, to preserve older seed varieties.

For more on seed relabeling, check out the Farmers Business Network’s 2018 Seed Relabeling Report.

The chart on declining global yields for corn, wheat, and rice comes from an article in the academic journal Disasters and Climate Change Economics from agricultural economists Mekbib G. Haile, Tesfamicheal Wossen, Kindie Tesfaye, and Joachim von Braun. Their prediction model takes into account both climate change and price volatility, which is why their estimates are higher than those of some other researchers.

Special thanks to Marie Haga of Global Crop Diversity Trust, and Marleni Ramírez of Bioversity International for sharing their knowledge with me.

The students like this one, too, which I play right after "The Top Banana," but I wonder whether two Vox videos back-to-back will have the same impact.

I close with a video about the Gros Michel and Cavendish bananas that is too long to show to my students, I Ate the Extinct Banana (so you don't have to).

Just a truly devastating video to have to make...

I've spread the myth about banana flavoring being based on the taste of the Gros Michel before I watched this video. Now I say that banana flavoring is more like the smell of Gros Michel. That made watching this video worth it to learn that fact alone and correct my teaching. As I've written before and hope to write again, any day I learn something new is a good day.

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for a celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

SciShow explains 'How the Fall of the Roman Empire Made Animals Smaller' for the Ides of March

Beware the Ides of March! Instead of the Sunday entertainment feature, I'm continuing the theme of death and destruction in the Roman world with SciShow explaining How the Fall of the Roman Empire Made Animals Smaller.

There’s a saying that, when Rome falls, the whole world will fall. Which frankly seems a little melodramatic and egotistical on the part of the Romans. Except that they kinda had a point when you realize the fall of Rome affected basically everything in Europe up to and including /the body size of wild animals/. Here's how the fall of the Roman Empire made animals smaller.

Hosted by: Jaida Elcock (she/her)

The last time I included the blog's description in an entry was PBS Terra lists '5 Warning Signs of Collapse We're Ignoring' plus presidential pets for Presidents Day.

When I created this blog, I called it "A blog about societal, cultural, and civilizational collapse, and how to stave it off or survive it." I've shifted away from that, making this more "A blog about sustainability with a science fiction slant and a Detroit perspective," as it says on the Crazy Eddie's Motie News Facebook page (if you're still on Facebook, please follow), but I've never changed the description here after 15 years. That's because, deep down, I still believe in the mission I set for myself in March 2011.

SciShow's video demonstrates that the collapse of the Western Roman Empire affected not only humans and their domesticated animals, but also the wild animals, mostly mammals, around them. Welcome to one of Commoner's Laws, "Everything is connected to everything else."

I turn to The History Guy for a lesson about the significance of the date, Beware the Ides of March.


He likes alliteration even more than I do! Speaking of alliteration, I can't escape entertainment entirely today, so I'm sharing Vehicle (Remastered) by Ides of March.



Vehicle (Remastered) · Ides Of March
That's a wrap for today's sort of holiday. Stay tuned for an educational post I can share next month followed by a celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

Pies in the face for the Razzie 'winners' on Pi Day

Happy Pi Day! It's time for the 46th Razzie® Award Winners for 2025!

In a battle for the worst, find out who will win and who will be denied the $4.97 gold-spray-painted Razzie statuette! And stick around to the end - there's a surprise!

I'm only tolerating the AI animation because it was a deliberate slap at the Seven CGI Dwarves, so it had a point. Also, Melania's hat emerging from the water is only a surprise to people those who weren't paying attention. The Razzies telegraphed this revelation in The Razzie-Buzz is deafening!.

Everyone's talking about the new movie in town!

As I wrote in Lydic, Meyers, Kimmel, and Colbert take closer looks at the 'Melania' documentary and other news, "I hope it...earns a Razzie nomination or two next year." It looks like I'm going to get my wish and then some!

By the way, this wouldn't be the First Lady's first Razzie nomination. She earned one for Worst Supporting Actress in Fahrenheit 11/9, but lost to Kellyanne Conway. Here's to writing about her "win" next year.

Enough looking ahead. Here's the press release.

Ice Cube and War of the Worlds (2025) win the battle for most Razzie take-homes! Kate Hudson redeems her previous Razzie nods with her pitch-perfect performance in Song Sung Blue.

It was a decisive battle and War of the Worlds won the 46th Razzie® Awards hands down! Becoming a cult hate-watch classic almost immediately, War of the Worlds (the 2025 version) has been cemented in Razzie history as a near sweeper of our $4.97 trophy winner. Remake, Actor, Screenplay, Director, and Picture win huge for this Amazon Prime offering. Utterly destroying H.G Wells classic novel, director Rich Lee (maybe inspired by Ed Wood) chose a goofy gimmick, hack dialogue, and a particularly hilarious performance by its lead, Ice Cube, to seize 2025’s biggest number of statues.
Another reimagined winner was the Disney 2025 version of Snow White, whose artificial dwarfs couldn’t escape the Razzie for a couple of trophies. It cost a fortune and lost a fortune, perhaps cursed by Walt himself for having ignored his dying wish for it never to be remade.
Other winners include Rebel Wilson for her not-quite-believable performance as an action hero in Bride Hard with weaponized curling irons and Scarlet Rose Stallone for her modernized performance in the odd western, Gunslingers.
This year’s recipient of the Razzie Redeemer Award is Kate Hudson for her pitch perfect performance in Song Sung Blue after a string of Razzie nods (Music, Mother’s Day and My Best Friend’s Girl) following her Oscar nomination for Almost Famous.
At least these were the pickings of our globe-spanning, opinionated Razzie Award Members.
...
Full List of 46th Razzie Award Winners

WORST PICTURE - War Of The Worlds (2025)
WORST ACTOR - Ice Cube / War Of The Worlds (2025)
WORST ACTRESS - Rebel Wilson / Bride Hard
WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Scarlet Rose Stallone / Gunslingers
WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR - All Seven Artificial Dwarfs / Snow White
RAZZIE REDEEMER AWARD - Kate Hudson for “Song Sung Blue”
WORST SCREEN COMBO - All Seven Artificial Dwarfs / Snow White
WORST PREQUEL, REMAKE, RIP-OFF or SEQUEL - War of the Worlds (2025)
WORST DIRECTOR - Rich Lee / War Of The Worlds (2025)
WORST SCREENPLAY - War Of The Worlds (2025) / Kenny Golde, Marc Hyman
RAZZIE REDEEMER AWARD – Kate Hudson / Song Sung Blue

“Wins Per Picture”
“War Of The Worlds” (2025) = 5 (Worst Picture, Actor, Remake - Rip-Off, Director, Screenplay)
Disney’s Snow White (2025) = 2 (Worst Supporting Actor, Screen Combo)
Rebel Wilson in “Bride Hard” = 1 (Worst Actress)
Scarlet Rose Stallone = 1 (Worst Supporting Actress)

Not only did WatchMojo's two worst movies of 2025 earn the most nominations, they won the most awards. Congratulations to WatchMojo! The movies are another matter.

I close with The Three Stooges wishing a Happy Pi Day!

Happy #PiDay from The Three Stooges! We're celebrating 3.14 with a pie to the face today.

Pies in the face to all the Razzie "winners!"

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for the Sunday entertainment feature. Should I cover the Best International Feature Film nominees at the Oscars, animation and song, or something else?

A great year for horror at the Oscars on Friday the 13th

It's Friday the 13th and I'm observing it the same way I did last month, examining horror nominees at an awards show. Then, it was the Saturn Awards. Today, it's the Academy Awards. I begin with Sinister Cinema Reviews asking What is Going On With The Oscars??!! A BIG Year for Horror!

Horror is actually getting recognition at the Oscars for the second year in a row??! What is happening?? This is great for the genre.

I agree with Jason on most of his points except for Bugonia being horror film; I consider it to be science fiction so much that it headlined Science fiction movie nominees at the Critics Choice Awards for Science Fiction Day. The Saturn Awards agreed, nominating it for Best Science Fiction Film. Still, Jason has enough company that Empire Magazine tweeted the following image.


Including Bugonia got pushback in the replies; several users questioned its inclusion or flatly stated that it's not horror. I'm agree; it's science fiction that appeals to horror fans, but it's not horror.

Speaking of Empire Magazine, it published The Oscars Have Finally Embraced Horror – And It’s Worth Screaming About. Follow over the jump for excerpts from it and my reactions.

Long COVID six years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic

I covered the 15th anniversary of Fukushima yesterday, so I'm blogging about the sixth anniversary of COVID-19 being declared a pandemic today. As the preview image shows, March 11, 2020 was an eventful date for the pandemic beyond the WHO declaration. Watch Fox 13 Tampa Bay report 6 years later: Millions living with long COVID.

Six years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of Americans are still living with its long-term effects.

Seven million dead from the disease worldwide? More like 21 million. That written, the big story is long COVID, which I touched on in 'The Pandemic Made People Worse Drivers,' a driving update when I pointed out the increased strokes and worse heart health mentioned in the SciShow video. The public health emergencies declared during the pandemic may have ended three years ago, but the after effects linger on. So does the denialism, which has infected the comments to this video on YouTube. Who's hiding under the bridge of an online science article? You don't want to know.

That's a wrap for today's observance. Stay tuned for Friday the 13th.

CNBC reports 'Japan bets on nuclear energy 15 years after Fukushima disaster'

I closed Marsh Family sings 'Grief and Destruction' with the choices for today's entry.

Tomorrow is the sixth anniversary of COVID-19 being declared a global pandemic and the fifteenth anniversary of the Fukushima triple disaster. Stay tuned to see which one I write about.

For the first time since Invasive species riding plastic debris from Fukushima 11 years later, I'm examining the Fukushima triple disaster. I begin with CNBC International Live reporting Japan bets on nuclear energy 15 years after Fukushima disaster.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is expected to discuss further investment and energy cooperation when she meets with U.S. President Trump this month — with nuclear power and related technology likely to remain a key theme. On the 15th anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, CNBC's Kaori Enjoji examines how this deepening economic and energy engagement could draw Japan further into a geopolitical tug-of-war and weigh on its companies.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is a lot like Donald "Hoover Harding Cleveland" Trump in choosing an old technology over a newer one. In her case, it's nuclear energy over renewables. In his case, it's coal and other fossil fuels. I think she's maker the smarter choice. I really don't like coal and would pick nuclear energy over it, although I really prefer renewables.

South China Morning Post examined Japan's changing attitude toward nuclear energy in Why a Fukushima survivor is choosing a nuclear future.

Takuma Hashimoto was just three when the 2011 tsunami triggered a nuclear meltdown near his home in Japan’s Fukushima prefecture. Now, the 18-year-old student is training to become a nuclear engineer. His journey mirrors a national shift; 15 years after the Fukushima disaster, Japan is choosing energy security over its nuclear trauma. As the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East squeeze global supplies, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is leading a pivot back to nuclear power. With public support at record highs, Japan is waking up to a stark reality: for the most resource-poor G7 nation, nuclear energy is no longer a risk, but a lifeline.

It's not just Prime Minister Takaichi who is choosing to return to nuclear energy, but a majority of her country. However, not all agree. Notice the protestors in Al Jazeera English reporting Japan nuclear power: Largest plant reopens years after Fukushima disaster.

The world's biggest nuclear power plant is back on line in Japan. Engineers flipped the switch to power up the plant 15 years after the Fukushima disaster, which killed an estimated 20,000 people. Tokyo Electric Power Company is responsible for Fukushima, and is also in charge of this plant. That fact alone has residents near the facility opposed to the plan.

Al Jazeera’s Patrick Fok reports from Kashiwazaki in western Japan.

Two things. First, the tsunami killed the overwhelming majority of victims, not the meltdown. Second, the Fukushima plant performed as designed; it was the failure of the backup generators, which the tsunami drowned, that led to the meltdowns. The higher seawalls help protect against both of those reoccurring, so I'm relieved to see them.

That's a wrap for today's anniversary. Stay tuned to see if I cover COVID-19 tomorrow.

Marsh Family sings 'Grief and Destruction'

Today's "something brief I can share in April, no fooling" is "Grief and Destruction" - Marsh Family parody of Barry McGuire's "Eve of Destruction" on war in Iran.

There are obviously lots of angles to this story, and it’s dangerous to wade into things without knowing how they will play out. So we waited to see if anything positive might emerge after the initial assassination of the despicable Khamenei (whose name was in an early draft of a chorus), and what the Trump administration/regime’s purported rationale was … and over subsequent days as we watched the grotesque media performances by Hegseth, the missiles killing children not just tyrants, and the escalation of damage and casualties without any sign of a coherent policy or endgame, we made the song about how it’s dangerous to wade into things without knowing how they’re going to play out.

If we’d known undead Tony Blair was going to remerge from the media crypt with some pearls of wisdom on Sunday, we would have probably made space to take the piss out of that ... but it would have been counterproductive to just parachute in (a bit like in 2003).

The original track “Eve of Destruction” was only reluctantly laid down at the end of a recording session by a gravelly-voiced Barry McGuire, and the demo leaked to a radio station where it was an instant hit in a country torn apart and increasingly divided over foreign wars and domestic protests in late 1965. Phil Sloan wrote the song months earlier, after the Gulf of Tonkin incident that was central to LBJ’s justification for US escalation in Vietnam. We had it on our radar for a future conflict, but want to give a shoutout to Kevin Ellis for urging us to use it to address this conflict.

If you want to hear a properly mixed folk-pop song of ours about the heroic protest movement in Iran, then you can find “Zan Zendegi Azadi” on our forthcoming album.

With luck, this might not be worth sharing in April, because by then the conflict might be over. High oil prices are bad for the economy and worse for Donald "Hoover Harding Cleveland" Trump and the Republicans running for Congress. He might just declare victory and quit bombing. All of us should be so lucky.

Tomorrow is the sixth anniversary of COVID-19 being declared a global pandemic and the fifteenth anniversary of the Fukushima triple disaster. Stay tuned to see which one I write about. In the meantime, Happy MAR1O Day!

'Abandoned - Westminster Mall California' by Bright Sun Films, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse

I'm taking a break from awards shows with Bright Sun Films presenting Abandoned - Westminster Mall California.

Like many suburban malls in America, Westminster Mall was the classic indoor shopping experience when it opened in 1974. It lasted through renovations, recessions and major store closures, all continuing to be a local community hub. However, it would ultimately close in 2025 and in just a matter of weeks, it's interiors were completely trashed. After making headlines for it's steep decline, it seems now that the mall will best be known for the destruction that followed its closure. So join me today as we find out what happened to the once local California icon that was, the Westminster Mall.

Jake Williams managed to find an example of the entire rise and fall of the American mall in this one site. That bodes well for his next feature-length project of the same name. May it fare better than Closed for Storm, which showed great promise, but didn't make as much of a splash as Class Action Park. That was fun, but not very thoughtful; Defunctland made a smarter video on a much smaller budget.

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for something brief I can share in April, no fooling.