A blog about societal, cultural, and civilizational collapse, and how to stave it off or survive it. Named after the legendary character "Crazy Eddie" in Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's "The Mote in God's Eye." Expect news and views about culture, politics, economics, technology, and science fiction.
If you drink coffee, you might wonder if you're doing the most to make your absolute best cup of coffee. And fortunately for you, science has the answers, from getting the perfect grind to finding out the best beans for you. So pull up a chair and pour yourself a cup of joe!
Lots of great science — biology, chemistry, and physics — in this video, as well as practical science-based advice for brewing a good cup of coffee. Yum!
Whether getting one to go or lingering over a second cup, on September 29th be sure to observe National Coffee Day!
Ah, the perfect cup of java. According to an expert cupper (a professional coffee taster), there are four components of a perfect cup: aroma, body, acidity, and flavor.
From the moment the average coffee lover opens a fresh bag of coffee beans, the aroma beckons, percolating the senses. Even those who don’t drink coffee tend to enjoy the fragrance roasted beans cast.
The video itself barely relates to the SciShow video, but its description sure makes for a good match!
The Hollywood writers' strike has come to an end after over 140 days. The tentative deal between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) has still yet to be ratified with a vote, but writers have been given the green light to return to production. Despite this monumental deal, major productions are still halted by the ongoing SAG-AFTRA actors strike. Yahoo Finance's Akiko Fujita joins the Live show to break down the details of the new contract between the writers and studio executives, as well as the current status of the actors' strike.
I'm recycling my reaction from Monday: "As I wrote, this is good news, but I'm not posting Professor Farnsworth until both the writers and actors have ratified their contracts and the studios and actors still aren't talking." Speaking of which, The Hollywood Reporter uploaded SAG-AFTRA Strike Continues After WGA and AMPTP Reach Tentative Deal | THR News on Tuesday.
While the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have reached a tentative deal on a new contract, SAG-AFTRA is still on strike. WGA members returned to the picket lines today in support of striking SAG-AFTRA members on Tuesday and spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about how they're feeling following the news that the more than 140-day writers' strike could be coming to an end.
The actors are feeling optimistic, which echoes what I wrote on Monday.
I'm sure they will resume talking once the WGA gets back to work, but that won't be until October at the earliest. While that means that scripted series for the new fall network TV season will be delayed until January, which is one of the reasons why the Primetime Emmy Awards have been postponed until MLKDay, I'm hoping that talk shows will return as soon as the WGA strike is over. I've missed Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, and especially John Oliver. Randy Rainbow just doesn't put out enough videos to fill that void. I'm hoping to welcome their return in time for NationalTVTalkShowHostDay on October 23rd.
The Writers Guild of America reached a new deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Here's what's next for Hollywood.
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The Hollywood screenwriters' strike, one of two strikes that have stalled movie and TV productions for nearly five months, will officially end Wednesday.
The Writers Guild of America board unanimously voted Tuesday to affirm the strike-ending deal, announced Sunday, with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the group that represents studios, streaming services and production companies in negotiations.
That's right, Bill Maher returns Friday, John Oliver resumes on Sunday, and everyone else follows on Monday. I can hardly wait!
I wrote "I have a graphic for Outstanding Live News Special and I might use it in one final post about the nominees before the News ceremony on Wednesday, September 27th." That's tonight, so I'm using it and two other Twitter graphics before they turn into pumpkins.
I expect the nominee with the most total nominations, CNN's Live from the Capitol: January 6th, One Year Later, will be the one that wins. It earned nominations for Outstanding Direction: News and Technical Excellence: News for three nominations overall. That CNN won this award last year supports my prediction. The only other nominee with another nomination is Noticiero Telemundo's "Decision 2022: Battle for the Power," which is also nominated for Technical Excellence: News, so it's my pick for second place. The rest just have this one nomination, so I am not optimistic about their chances, as much as I'd like one of the two ABC News nominees to win.
All of these interviews have only this one nomination, so I have to go on prior performance and news judgment to pick a winner. 20/20 won this award last year and Mike Pence breaking with the former guy is definitely newsworthy, so I think it's the favorite. My other pick would be 60 Minutes interviewing President Zelenskyy. I don't think the rest are likely to win, although another interview of Bill Barr shows up in the next category.
Again, all of these interviews have only this one nomination, so I have to go on prior performance and news judgment to pick a winner. The New York Times DealBook Summit won this award last year, so I can't count Andrew Ross Sorkin out, as distasteful as I find his subject, Sam Bankman-Fried, to be. Then again, he indirectly caused my wife and me to lose money, so that might color my judgment. Speaking of which, I think Anderson Cooper's interview of Nancy Pelosi has more news value and is of someone I find more sympathetic, so it's the one I want to win. The journalists who are voting might not agree. Remember, electorates matter.
That's it for my coverage of the nominations. I plan on returning with the winners beginning Friday after looking at either more strikenews or the outcome of the second Republican debate. As I wrote yesterday "I'm just not feeling that last one this cycle, so I might skip it." In either event, stay tuned.
Previous posts about the 2023 News & Documentary Emmy Awards
Biden's trip Tuesday is expected to be the historic appearance by a president on a picket line, according to historians.
On Wednesday, Trump is scheduled to deliver a prime-time evening speech in Clinton Township to an audience of autoworkers and other union members. Trump has repeatedly said on social media that autoworkers should reject electric vehicles, arguing that they will be made outside the U.S. and UAW members will lose jobs.
Both the GOP and Democratic front-runners are seeking the support of rank-and-file UAW members in the upcoming presidential race.
While Democratic presidents and union members have a long history of mutual support, Biden walking a picket line is unprecedented.
[Cornell University's Art] Wheaton said U.S. presidents have typically avoided all picket lines. The U.S. Secret Service, he said, most likely doesn't want a president to be walking a picket line because the action there can be so unpredictable and notoriously difficult to control.
And a president, Wheaton said, wants to be neutral and not appear to be picking sides in a labor dispute, favoring the union over the corporation.
"But President Biden has been very open that he stands with the UAW," Wheaton said, "so that's a refreshing change and should not be unexpected by anyone in politics."
"He claims to be the most union president at least in our generation so we should not be shocked that he wants to support the union in the way he can."
Tompor packed a lot of political and economic analysis in her commentary, including the increasing popularity of unions and a history of presidents working with the UAW. Read it before it goes behind a paywall.
President Biden is set to join striking auto workers on the picket lines Tuesday in Michigan.
It may be the first time a sitting president has walked a picket line, but it won't be the first time for Biden, who did so before he was president.
The White House reporter for the Associated Press mentioned electric vehicles (EVs) as an issue between the UAW and automakers, something Tompor also explored in her article. She mentioned that it's become a campaign issue as well. Yahoo Finance explored Why EVs are becoming politicized amid UAW strikes.
President Biden is set to join the United Auto Workers' strikes this week to show support for union workers, shortly before Former President Donald Trump joins picket lines in Detroit, skipping out on the second GOP debate. One of the issues at the center of the strike is EV production and what it means for the future of auto workers. Biden's policy to have electric vehicles account for 50% of all new auto sales by 2030 has been lauded by Trump, among other Republicans, over automation fears that could eliminate jobs and the auto parts needed for assembly. Yahoo Finance Senior Reporter Rick Newman joins to discuss what is factual and what is political strategy from both sides of the aisle.
[T]he transition to EVs...is going more slowly than hoped, and...the strike is likely to impede that technological change even more. I'm not happy about that, as I'm in favor of EVs. However, sustainability is a balancing act, which is why I wrote "May people not suffer so that the planet and profit thrive" on Labor Day. Here's to maintaining that balance.
I'll have more on the strike, maybe later this week, in between the News&DocumentaryEmmyAwards, a possible government shutdown, and maybe the second Republicandebate. I'm just not feeling that last one this cycle, so I might skip it. In any event, stay tuned.
The Writers Guild of America has reached a tentative agreement with Hollywood studios after nearly 150 days of striking. The deal still has to be approved by union members.
Screenwriters in the US say they have reached a tentative deal with studio bosses that could see them end a strike that has lasted nearly five months.
The Writers Guild of America said it was "exceptional - with meaningful gains and protections for writers".
Members of the guild must still have a final say.
It is the longest strike to affect Hollywood in decades and has halted most film and TV production.
A separate dispute involves actors, who are also on strike.
As I wrote, this is good news, but I'm not posting Professor Farnsworth until both the writers and actors have ratified their contracts and the studios and actors still aren't talking. I'm sure they will resume talking once the WGA gets back to work, but that won't be until October at the earliest. While that means that scripted series for the new fall network TV season will be delayed until January, which is one of the reasons why the Primetime Emmy Awards have been postponed until MLKDay, I'm hoping that talk shows will return as soon as the WGA strike is over. I've missed Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, and especially John Oliver. Randy Rainbow just doesn't put out enough videos to fill that void. I'm hoping to welcome their return in time for NationalTVTalkShowHostDay on October 23rd.
On the other hand, I wouldn't be surprised if Saturday Night Live doesn't return until SAG-AFTRA gets back to work. Their performers are actors as well as writers. Still, it will take only a week or two after the actors and studios reach an agreement for new episodes to air, longer if the first guest host is also a SAG-AFTRA member. I'm betting on a musician, athlete, or politician for their first guest of the season. I also think the first new show will be in time for Thanksgiving. Any takers?
In the meantime, the UAW strike has expanded and both President Biden and the former guy are planning on getting involved, if only for photo opportunities. Stay tuned.
Outstanding Arts, Culture or Entertainment Coverage 20/20 Cinderella: The Reunion ABC ABC News Soul of a Nation Presents PRIDE: To Be Seen ABC CNN FlashDocs Taking on Taylor Swift CNN Nightline What America Owes: The Stolen Generation ABC VICE News Tonight The Dark Side of Manga Vice
The "PRIDE: To Be Seen" episode of ABC News' Soul of a Nation Presents is the only nominee for this award that also has a nomination in another category, Outstanding Direction: News. All the rest have just this one nomination. On that basis, I'm considering "PRIDE: To Be Seen" to be the favorite. Last year's winner, The New York Times Presents: "Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson" provides very little guidance, weakly supporting the possibility of CNN FlashDocs's "Taking on Taylor Swift" being the main competition for "PRIDE: To Be Seen." That last year's most nominated entry for Outstanding Arts, Culture or Entertainment Coverage, Soul of a Nation: "Tulsa's Buried Truth," didn't win either of its nominated categories supports this possibility as well.
Outstanding Direction: News
ABC News Election Night 2022 ABC ABC News Soul of a Nation Presents PRIDE: To Be Seen ABC CBS Saturday MorningDavid Byrne’s American Utopia CBS Live from the Capitol: January 6th, One Year Later CNN
Soul of a Nation Presents X / o n e r a t e d – The Murder of Malcolm X and 55 Years to Justice ABC
On the other hand, last year's winner of this category, Soul of a Nation: "Juneteenth: Together We Triumph," supports one of the two nominees from Soul of a Nation being the winner. That could just as easily be "X / o n e r a t e d – The Murder of Malcolm X and 55 Years to Justice," which also has two nominations, the other for Outstanding Crime and Justice Coverage. However, I suspect the nominee with the most total nominations, CNN's Live from the Capitol: January 6th, One Year Later, will be the one that actually wins. It earned nominations for Outstanding Live News Special and Technical Excellence: News for three nominations overall. I have a graphic for Outstanding Live News Special and I might use it in one final post about the nominees before the News ceremony on Wednesday, September 27th.
I plan on taking a break from News & Documentary Emmy Awards coverage tomorrow by returning to strike coverage. There have been developments in both the UAW strike and WGA strike and I'm thinking of covering one or both. Stay tuned.
Previous posts about the 2023 News & Documentary Emmy Awards
HappyAutumnalEquinox! As I wrote yesterday, I am finishing the nominations for Trafficked with Mariana van Zellerat the 2023 News & Doc Emmy Awards today. That written, the final nominination is merely making a cameo, as "VICE News Tonight has three nominees in Outstanding Business, Consumer or Economic Coverage, one of which I think will win, so I'm planning on the next installment of the series featuring them, not Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller." Without any further ado, here are the nominees for that category.
Outstanding Business, Consumer or Economic Coverage
Africa+ Black Snow: Nigeria’s Oil Catastrophe Bloomberg
Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller Stolen Cars National Geographic
VICE News Tonight The Price of Purity: Inside the Wellness Industry’s Controversial Supply Chains Vice
VICE News Tonight VICE News Investigates: Mafia Land Vice
VICE News Tonight Undercover in Guyana Vice
VICE News Tonight's three nominees all have nominations in other categories so long as I add the nominations for "Mafia Land" to "VICE News Investigates: Mafia Land"itself. Once I do this, "VICE News Investigates: Mafia Land"/"Mafia Land" has three nominations, including Outstanding Video Journalism and Outstanding Graphic Design and Art Direction: News, while both "The Price of Purity: Inside the Wellness Industry’s Controversial Supply Chains" and "Undercover in Guyana" have two each. "The Price of Purity: Inside the Wellness Industry’s Controversial Supply Chains" is competing with "Mafia Land" for Outstanding Video Journalism, while "Undercover in Guyana" is contending against Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller's "White Supremacy" and five other nominees for Outstanding Research: News. This is the only nomination for both Africa+ and Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller's "Stolen Cars." Based on the number of nominations, I expect "Mafia Land" to be the favorite so long as vote splitting with the other two VICE News Tonight nominees doesn't interfere.
Follow over the jump for the rest of the nominations for these episodes of VICE News Tonight.
Surprisingly, the winner of the Streamy Award for Learning and Education thinks the answer is no, placing rhinos in D tier because of their eyesight, low intelligence, and generally solitary nature. Being big, strong, tough, and dangerous wasn't enough.
The UAW and the Detroit Big Three are having what's been characterized as around-the-clock discussions, but there has been no update from the automakers.
At least the Canadian Auto Workers have reached an agreement. The reporter on location seemed pretty pessimistic about the UAW reaching agreements with the Big Three any time soon.
As UAW members continue protesting outside three plants in the U.S., Michigan's economy could be derailed if the strike lasts for several weeks.
Unlike the SAG-AFTRA andWGA strikes, talks are taking place and progress toward an agreement is happening every day, so I think the strike will end before suppliers start to close, although not before more UAW members go out on strike. Stay tuned.
Free Yourselves. Take to the Seas. The Journey to find the ONE PIECE begins August 31. Only on Netflix.
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With his straw hat and ragtag crew, young pirate Monkey D. Luffy goes on an epic voyage for treasure in this live-action adaptation of the popular manga.
That looks like a lot of fun. It also reminds me that when I was reading the "One Piece" manga 20 years ago, I didn't feel like I was reading a comic for pre-teen boys until I got to the end of each chapter, when the author would put in a bit of history about pirates. Those felt like he was talking to a younger audience. The story itself was fast-paced, engrossing, and enjoyable for all ages. It looks like the live-action adaptation is succeeding in adapting it to the TV screen.
That's all I feel like sharing today. Stay tuned as I return to my regular programming tomorrow, whatever that is.
The United Auto Worker union's strike agains[t] the Detroit Big Three entered its fourth day on Monday, Sept. 18. Negotiations resumed with General Motors over the weekend, and talks are expected to pick back up with Ford Motor Company and Stellantis on Monday.
The striker hoping Bill Ford would intervene reminds me that the management of the auto companies has more of a "we're all in this together" attitude than the studio executives, which makes me more optimistic about the UAW strike ending sooner than SAG-AFTRA andWGA strikes.
While WDIV gave the workers an opportunity to state their grievances and hopes, Fox 2 Detroit included the views of politicians and management in UAW strike enters day 4.
UAW employees are on the picket line for the fourth day as the union and automakers continue to negotiate to reach a deal. Offers made to the UAW haven't met the union's wage demands, leading to the strike.
I'm glad Bernie Sanders is showing his support for the strikers, but I think the team from the White House will get more done.
With the United Auto Workers strike entering its third day, Robert Reich, Former U.S. Secretary of Labor, and Sara Nelson, President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, join Ali Velshi to discuss the implications of the UAW strike for the auto industry and workers across the country as the “Summer of Strikes” continues into the fall.
Reich and Nelson are right in principle. I hope they're also right about the outcome.
I may have more on the strike as early as Wednesday. In the meantime, stay tuned as I celebrate Talk Like A Pirate Day tomorrow. Arr!
Outstanding Crime and Justice Coverage
Dateline NBC Dark Waters NBC Dateline NBC What Happened to Anton Black? NBC Soul of a Nation Presents X / o n e r a t e d – The Murder of Malcolm X and 55 Years to Justice ABC Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller White Supremacy National Geographic VICE News Tonight No Justice for Women in the Taliban’s Afghanistan Vice
I begin my reaction by recycling what I wrote in Outstanding Science, Technology or Environmental Coverage nominees cover plastics, the Amazon, school surveillance, and mental health:"'White Supremacy'...has the most nominations among the field for Outstanding Crime and Justice Coverage, although ABC's "X / o n e r a t e d - The Murder of Malcolm X and 55 Years to Justice" with two total nominations might give it a run for its money." The rest of the nominees have only this one nomination, so I'm not predicting that any of them would upset either Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller or Soul of a Nation Presents. That written, I would be very surprised if this category fails to include at least one episode of Dateline NBC, which specializes in true crime, as long as that series produces new episodes. Also, true crime is very much the province of VICE News Tonight, so I'm not surprised that one of its 28 nominations is in this category. I'm only surprised VICE News Tonight and Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller don't have more nominations here.
Mariana travels to Chicago Illinois to speak with a former white nationalist about the growing white suprematist (sic) movement in the united states and abroad.
I took two things away from this interview. First, it's not the ideology that attracts people, it's the promise of identity, community, and purpose. That's what cults and gangs promise, too. Second, the internet is a great recruiting tool and, like all tools, it can be used for good or evil.
Follow over the jump for the categories I've already covered that include nominations for "White Supremacy."
["Amazon Mafia"] is another video I can recommend to my students. It's just as strong on the environment as In Real Life: Plastic Time Bomb, even if it's weaker on the science. It, like all the other nominated episodes of Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller, makes up for it by being strong on long-form investigative reporting and crime coverage. In fact, "Fish Pirates" earned a nomination for Outstanding Investigative News Coverage: Long Form as well as Outstanding Writing: News and I've already mentioned that "White Supremacy" has nominations for Outstanding Crime and Justice Coverage, Outstanding Editing: News, and Outstanding Research: News. I will try to get around to covering those categories, if I haven't already, and embedding their videos.
As much as 30% of our seafood has been caught illegally. Mariana searches for the fish pirates who make billions each year while destroying our oceans.
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About Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller:
TRAFFICKED with Mariana van Zeller is an original documentary series that explores the complex and dangerous inner-workings of the global underworld, black and informal markets. Each adventure follows Mariana on a mission to follow the chain of custody of trafficked goods, understand how to obtain the contraband, or see the 360-degree view of the trafficking world from the point of view of the smugglers, law enforcement and those caught in the crossfire.
Watching this video reminds me that I've been blogging about overfishing since 2013, when I quoted an article about climate change that mentioned overfishing as an additional threat to biodiversity, then quoted another article that detected evidence of it in old restaurant menus from Hawaii. It's been a topic of Earth Overshoot Day and a theme of World Wildlife Day and especially WorldOceansDay. Most recently, I included a video about overfishing I show to my students in Whales and fish, two stories I tell my students. Today's entry fits well with my continuing coverage of this threat to the environment and the global food supply, which means it's another video I can recommend to my students along with "Amazon Mafia."
Now for its competition in its two nominated categories.
Outstanding Investigative News Coverage: Long Form
FRONTLINE Afghanistan Undercover PBS FRONTLINE, The Associated Press, SITU Research Crime Scene: Bucha PBS Caught on Camera, Traced by Phone: The Russian Military Unit That Killed Dozens in Bucha The New York Times Trafficked with Mariana van Zelle Fish Pirates National Geographic VICE News Tonight Above the Law: Investigating the Louisville Metro Police Department Vice
All of the nominees except "Above the Law: Investigating the Louisville Metro Police Department" have another nomination, so I can't use that to handicap the category. Both of Frontline's nominees, "Afghanistan Undercover" and "Crime Scene: Bucha," and the New York Times' Caught on Camera, Traced by Phone: The Russian Military Unit That Killed Dozens in Bucha are also nominated for Outstanding Research: News, a category that I expect Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller's "White Supremacy" will win. Normally, I'd forecast based on the lack of other nominations that "Above the Law: Investigating the Louisville Metro Police Department," one of VICE News Tonight's 28 nominations, would be the least likely to win, but the video views say otherwise.
Continuing on, here is the other nominated category for "Fish Pirates" as well as one of two nominations for "Cocaine Queens."
Outstanding Writing: News
60 Minutes The Lost Souls of Bucha CBS 60 Minutes Pathogen X CBS 60 Minutes Platform 4 CBS Fault Lines The Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh Al Jazeera International USA Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller Cocaine Queens National Geographic Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller Fish Pirates National Geographic
60 Minutes has three nominated segments, two of which have two nominations, "Pathogen X" in this category and Outstanding Hard News Feature Story: Long Form and "Platform 4" in this category and Outstanding Edited Breaking News Coverage. "Cocaine Queens" also earned a nomination for Outstanding Editing: News. Using page views to break the tie, I'd say "Platform 4" with 700,899 views is in the lead to walk away from the podium with this award.
That concludes today's installment of this series. Return tomorrow as I plan on looking at the remaining nominations for Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller. Stay tuned.
Previous posts about the 2023 News & Documentary Emmy Awards
For the first time in history, the United Auto Workers union has called for a simultaneous strike at each of Detroit’s Big Three automakers after the groups failed to come to an agreement before this year’s contract deadline.
Two things impressed me, the resolve of the strikers and the big show the automakers made that they have been negotiating and making what they see as good offers. The first compares well with SAG-AFTRA andWGA strikes; the writers and actors have shown great resolve on the picket lines. The second is a welcome contrast to the studios, who have made only token efforts to offer acceptable contracts. The automakers want to keep making cars and trucks while keeping their workforce satisfied. The studios seem to want to starve the writers and actors into submission. You can tell which industry's management I like better.
CNBC's Phil LeBeau joins 'Squawk Box' with the latest news.
Phil LeBeau noted the strikers' resolve as well along with the popular support for the strike. Both of those bode well for the UAW. They also discussed the transition to EVs, which is going more slowly than hoped, and how the strike is likely to impede that technological change even more. I'm not happy about that, as I'm in favor of EVs. However, sustainability is a balancing act, which is why I wrote "May people not suffer so that the planet and profit thrive" on Labor Day. Here's to maintaining that balance.
There will be no negotiations until Monday, so I plan on returning to the strike next week. Until then, stay tuned for more posts about NewsandDocumentaryEmmyAwards over the weekend.
As our world gets warmer and our climate gets more extreme, the weather isn’t the only thing that’s changing and becoming more dangerous. Disease vectors are also spreading and becoming riskier to humans. In this episode of Weathered, we delve into some of the world’s biggest killers, like Malaria and Dengue, but also discuss some smaller, and creepier threats that are becoming more common.
And PBS Vitals co-host, Dr. Alok Patel, helps us understand the measures we can all take to keep ourselves as safe as possible amid this ever-changing landscape of infectious disease.
While I've written about West Nile virus and other mosquito-borne diseases here, I haven't mentioned Lyme disease before, even in connection with climate change. It's about time I did.
Right here, on the heels of the Lahaina disaster and a summer full of Canadian wildfire smoke, we’ve been wondering: when the air fills with smoke, what are you really breathing? How best to protect yourself? And how bad is it going to get?
Along with Alok, Maiya May from Weathered brings some long-term perspective on fires, climate change and the shifting patterns of where we live.
During May and June, smoke from those wildfires has twice blown south into the eastern half of the U.S. and created unhealthy to hazardous air quality from Chicago to New York, with Detroit in-between. Last week, the smoke was thick enough that it matched the worst-looking air pollution I ever saw growing up in Los Angeles. I have never seen air quality this bad in the 34 years I've lived here. My students even asked me why it was happening. Unfortunately, they were my geology students. If my environmental science students had asked, I'd have used the smoke as an example of three of Commoner's Laws, everything is connected to everything else, everything must go somewhere, so there is no "away," and there is no free lunch. If the smoke returns, I might still.
Fortunately, the smoke hasn't returned enough to get my students to ask, but the risk remains.
PBS Vitals has more videos on the health effects of climate change and I might share them. Stay tuned.
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.
Being apart of nature, food can also be endangered. Counter Space explores those who are protecting and perfecting the foods we love.
This excerpt is from season two of Counter Space and was filmed in 2022.
I'll get back to my readers about my students' reactions to this video in a month or two. Stay tuned.
I also never wrote an entry about the nominees and winner of Outstanding Promotional Announcement at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards. That was National Geographic's "9/11: One Day in America," which also won Outstanding Historical Documentary. I didn't completely miss it, as I mentioned that it had six nominations in Emmy nominee 'My Garden of a Thousand Bees' for World Honey Bee Day, but I never followed up on that aside. Darn. Here is the Twitter graphic from Nat Geo Docs announcing both wins.
Congratulations! May I not be so busy as to miss this year's nominees.
Thanks to the SAG-AFTRA andWGA strikes, I got my wish. No, I don't have a monkey's paw lying around here, but I know to be careful what I wish for.
To continue making up what I missed last year, I'm sharing both the winning promotional announcement and a full episode of 9/11: One Day in America to observe the day, beginning with 9/11: One Day in America Trailer | National Geographic.
Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, the six-part limited series 9/11: One Day in America will premiere August 29 at 9/8c National Geographic[.]
I can see why this won Outstanding Promotional Announcement last year. It's very moving. While I still think "Shark Week" can win, the same people produced Retrograde as 9/11: One Day in America, so I can see them winning again.
9/11: One Day in America won the News and Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Historical Documentary at the 43rd News and Documentary Emmy Awards in 2022.
I'm recycling my opening from two years ago as my reaction.
I could finish my 9/11 story from ten years ago, but I'm not feeling it. This isn't my story. It's the story of the victims and their surviving family and friends.
And that's who told the story of that day in this episode. Watch, listen, and remember.
As I promised yesterday, I'm continuing coverage and commentary on the News & Doc Emmy Awards as the Sunday entertainment feature with the nominees for Outstanding Science, Technology or Environmental Coverage.
Outstanding Science, Technology or Environmental Coverage
In Real Life Plastic Time Bomb Newsy Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller Amazon Mafia National Geographic World’s Untold Stories The Brain Collectors CNN VICE News Tonight Where Protecting the Environment Gets You Killed Vice VICE News Tonight ‘They’re Watching Us’: Inside the Company Surveilling Millions of Students Vice
This is the only nomination for each of these stories, so I have to use other criteria to handicap their odds of winning, such as views on YouTube and actually watching them. I begin with In Real Life: Plastic Time Bomb by Newsy, now Scripps News.
Less than 10% of plastic waste ends up recycled, and studies show much of what does go in the recycling bin can actually end up in landfills. In this new episode of "In Real Life," we explore how we can plug the gaps in the global recycling system and travel to Malaysia to see the real impact of the world’s un-recycled waste.
This is a video I can recommend to my students, as it serves as examples of all four of Commoner's Laws: Everything is connected to everything else; there is no away; there is no free lunch; and nature knows best. It's even the right length at 22 minutes, the minimum duration for video extra credit.
This is one of two nominations for Newsy. The other is In Real Life: The New Death, which earned a nomination for Outstanding Soft Feature Story: Long Form. Neither is widely watched. In Real Life: Plastic Time Bomb has 4,167 views while In Real Life: The New Death has even fewer, 2,499 views. That doesn't bode well for either of their chances of winning.
Mariana travels to the Amazon to track down the criminal networks behind a slew of killings and the illegal destruction of the rainforest.
This is another video I can recommend to my students. It's just as strong on the environment as In Real Life: Plastic Time Bomb, even if it's weaker on the science. It, like all the other nominated episodes of Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller, makes up for it by being strong on long-form investigative reporting and crime coverage. In fact, "Fish Pirates" earned a nomination for Outstanding Investigative News Coverage: Long Form as well as Outstanding Writing: News and I've already mentioned that "White Supremacy" has nominations for Outstanding Crime and Justice Coverage, Outstanding Editing: News, and Outstanding Research: News. I will try to get around to covering those categories, if I haven't already, and embedding their videos.
"Amazon Mafia" is nearly two orders of magnitude more popular on YouTube than either of the In Real Life videos with 272,137 views. That's more popular than Where Protecting the Environment Gets You Killed, one of two nominations for VICE News Tonight in this category alone and 28 nominations overall, with 204,354 views.
Around the world, environmental activists are being murdered in growing numbers. They die for defending the land from multinational corporations and governments seeking to exploit natural resources for profit. One of the deadliest countries for environmentalists is Colombia -- a key front in the struggle against climate change.
This video covers very similar territory to "Amazon Mafia" — investigative reporting on crime and the environment in South America, particularly the Amazon rainforest. As such, they are likely to compete with each other more intensely than other nominees in this category. "Amazon Mafia" is more popular and comprehensive, while this report is more focused. It depends what the Emmy voters want, and electorates matter.
Millions of students across the country are being monitored by surveillance tools in the name of school safety. VICE News investigates Gaggle, a company that uses artificial intelligence and human review to detect danger signs in the content kids create on school-issued accounts and devices. Gaggle says it helps schools prevent tragedies and some educators have praised its ability to flag kids in crisis, but critics warn of a potential impact to LGBTQ+ students and increased interactions between kids and law enforcement.
I find myself unable to blog about the shooting at Oxford High School and its ongoing fallout. It's too fast moving and too close to home, literally. I might get to it later, but then again, I didn't blog about the Larry Nassar scandal until 2019.* It may be a while.
Almost two years later, this still hits close to home. Even the door signs are the same as the ones where I work. That's uncanny, but I probably should have expected it. I'm in the same county as Oxford. I'm sure it hits home in other ways for other Americans, as it's about what's happening here, not overseas where America is having an effect, but not an effect directly on Americans. This is affecting Americans.
Also, the video's use of graphics makes the entire video look better produced than its competitors for this award, including "Plastic Time Bomb," which also had good graphics. That helps. Between the subject matter and the better graphics, I think this report can overcome the slightly lower viewership, 202,440 views, than "Amazon Mafia" or "Where Protecting the Environment Gets You Killed."
CNN does not have a video upload of its nominee on YouTube, but it does have World’s Untold Stories: The Brain Collectors on its website. Sorry, no embed and no stats. It is a well-told, if quiet, scientific detective story, but I don't know if it has the emotional impact of "'They’re Watching Us’: Inside the Company Surveilling Millions of Students," which is my pick to win. The best thing it has going for it is that CNN has a constituency that Newsy and Vice don't have, and National Geographic might have for documentaries, but not news. Again, electorates matter.
I'm taking a short break from this series to observe the 22nd anniversary of 9/11 tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Previous posts about the 2023 News & Documentary Emmy Awards
