Get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged. But before you go, be sure to pack sunscreen and a plenty of water. It turns out that the cradle of civilization is barely habitable. WaPo takes you back where civilization emerged between the Tigris and Euphrates, and where climate change is poisoning the land and emptying the villages. "In the historic marshes, meanwhile, men are clinging to what remains of life as they knew it as their buffaloes die and their wives and children scatter across nearby cities, no longer able to stand the summer heat. Temperatures in Iraq topped a record 125 degrees this summer with aid groups warning that drought was limiting access to food, water and electricity for 12 million people here and in neighboring Syria. With Iraq warming faster than much of the globe, this is a glimpse of the world's future." From Cradle to Grave (Gift Article for NextDraft readers).
Once we've ruined this joint, which creatures will still be around? Well, rats are a decent bet. And if you're a praying mantis the size of a dog, kudos. Vox: The animals that may exist in a million years.
3
HEALTH CHECK
"Some 115,000 health care workers died from Covid-19 from January 2020 to May of this year, according to a new World Health Organization estimate ... In most high-income countries, more than 80% of health care workers are fully vaccinated ... But in Africa, the rate is less than 1 in 10." (But yeah, keep doing your research about the vaccine...)
"The backlog of cargo ships in southern California reached an all-time high this week as a supply chain crisis continues to overwhelm America's busiest port complex. On Tuesday more than 100 ships were waiting to unload thousands of containers outside the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach." Backlog of cargo ships at southern California ports reaches an all-time high.
"Today's sports heroes play longer and better than ever before. They benefit not only from the inherent genetic advantage of all great athletes, but also from decades of elite training, cutting-edge treatments and the time and money to enact them. LeBron James, who played MVP-caliber ball last year at 36, reportedly spends more than $1 million of his own money on his body annually. He employs a personal biomechanist (former Navy SEAL Donnie Raimon), receives liquid nitrogen treatments to reduce inflammation and enjoys the benefits of expensive hot and cold tubs in his home. Steph Curry (still relatively young at 33) swears by float spas and cryotherapy. Roger Federer (40) owns a hyperbaric chamber and sleeps 10 to 12 hours a night in absolute darkness." These athletes, along with the ageless Tom Brady, are all working towards answering the same question: How Long Can We Play? And what does that question even mean to you? (This article really motivated me to take better care of myself. I'm gonna start with sleeping 12 hours a night and see how that goes...)
"It's long been known that the Vikings were the first Europeans to make the long journey to the Americas, arriving in what is now Canada sometime around the end of the first millennium. But a new article in the journal Nature is the first to pinpoint a precise date: 1021, exactly 1,000 years ago — beating the arrival of Christopher Columbus by nearly 500 years." Yay, Vikings! Or Cancel Vikings! I'm not sure...
7
BANNON AND ON AND ON
"There are people in this chamber right now who were with me and with the rest of us on that day during that attack. People who now seem to have forgotten the danger of the moment, the assault on the Constitution, the assault on our Congress. People who you will hear argue that there is simply no legislative purpose for this committee for this investigation or for this subpoena." That was Liz Cheney as the House prepared to hold Steve Bannon on contempt. (It's amazing it takes this long and this much wrangling for those at the top of American government to hold one scruffy jackass to account.) After the House does its thing, Attorney General Merrick Garland will have the final decision.
8
CAPE CRUSADERS
"A scream pierced the air, unintelligible, without words. Rocha spun to see a large shark thrashing beside his friend. He kicked off his flippers, ran through shin-deep water and dove into a wave. After a few strokes, he looked up and saw water around Medici tinted red with blood. Rocha was a strong swimmer. He had to cover 30 yards. He halved the distance and lifted his head again." C.J. Chivers in NYT Mag: Fear on Cape Cod as Sharks Hunt Again.
9
CHAPTER 11, CONTINUED...
"Nine months after being expelled from social media for his role in inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, former President Donald Trump said Wednesday he's launching a new media company with its own social media platform. Trump says his goal in launching the Trump Media & Technology Group and its 'Truth Social' app is to create a rival to the Big Tech companies that have shut him out and denied him the megaphone that was paramount to his national rise." Trump Airlines, Trump Beverages, Trump Casinos, Trump Magazine, Trump Steaks, and Trump University, get ready. You're about to have company.
10
BOTTOM OF THE NEWS
"Around 6:30 PM on Sunday, the [Spokane Police Department] began to receive calls regarding what was described as a pornographic or explicit image appearing during a television weather forecast." I don't know what's more of a mystery. That a Washington newscast accidentally showed a pornographic clip during weather report or that people inadvertently saw a few seconds of a bare ass and thought that was an urgent enough situation to call the cops.
+ Want to go back and watch 90s TV, commercials, and music videos? Go for it! (Other decades available as well.)
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