Things That Go Bump In the Flight

Turbulence, Pot's Popularity

You might want to buckle up for this one. We're used to hearing air travel woes related to flight delays, lost luggage, poor customer service, and that kid who won't stop kicking your seat. We're not used to feedback like this: "I saw people from across the aisle just going completely horizontal, hitting the ceiling and landing back down in really awkward positions." There's a reason that the Singapore Airlines flight that hit massive turbulence is making news. Passengers don't often die because of a turbulent flight (as one did in this case) or get seriously injured (several travelers are still in the ICU). And turbulence, while often stressful, doesn't often include a plane losing 6,000 feet of altitude. So, yes, Singapore Air's flight SQ321 was unusual in many unfortunate ways. But extreme turbulence—which "can be invisible both to the eye and weather radar"—is becoming less and less unusual. "Recent research indicates that turbulence is rising and that this change is sparked by climate change, specifically elevated carbon dioxide emissions affecting air currents. Paul Williams, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Reading in England, has studied turbulence for more than a decade. Dr. Williams's research has found that clear air turbulence, which occurs most frequently at high altitudes and in winter, could triple by the end of the century. He said that this type of turbulence, of all categories, is increasing around the world at all flight altitudes." NYT (Gift Article): Fasten Your Seatbelts: What You Need to Know About Turbulence. Maybe there's a reason the safety videos always remind us how to operate a seat belt.

+ Let's switch to a less stressful travel story—like one about stolen bags. Here's one of the most amazing lost luggage stories you're likely to see. Stolen suitcase sleuth fights back against car break-ins. "Donning heavy-duty yellow work gloves and wielding a flashlight, he drove over to the scene to begin sifting through the contents of the discarded bags. He was looking for any clue that might identify the rightful owners—a passport or driver’s license, a scribbled name on a business card, an address on a luggage tag, even a label on a prescription medicine bottle."

+ If you missed it yesterday, there’s a new NextDraft site with the latest content right on the homepage. You can basically get ND however you want it (Blog, Email, App, RSS, Smoke Signal). And please take a second to spread the word. Now when you share, your friends and followers can go straight to the latest content. Give me, I need, I need.

2

Sh-t Doesn't Just Happen

To further examine the effects of climate change that we're already feeling, let's plunge from the skies to the sludgy ground that used to be a reasonable distance above septic systems. Until the sea started to rise. "For all the obvious challenges facing South Florida as sea levels surge, one serious threat to public health and the environment remains largely out of sight, but everywhere: Septic tanks. Millions of them dot the American South, a region grappling with some of the planet’s fastest-rising seas, according to a Washington Post analysis. At more than a dozen tide gauges from Texas to North Carolina, sea levels have risen at least 6 inches since 2010 — a change similar to what occurred over the previous five decades." A Hidden Threat.

3

Ceci N'est Pas Une Bong

It's not surprising that marijuana has become a lot more popular with expanded legalization. But has it become a more common daily activity than drinking? "At the nadir of modern marijuana use, in 1992, just 0.9 million Americans reported using marijuana daily or near daily. That number had grown twenty-fold to 17.7 million by the most recent survey in 2022. For the first time, more Americans report using marijuana daily or near daily than they do drinking that often (17.7 million vs. 14.7 million)." Washington Monthly: This Isn’t Your Father’s Marijuana Use.

+ Interestingly, adolescents make up only a small percentage of daily pot users. Of course, it's the not the drug most parents are worried about these days. It's all about avoiding pills and powders. WaPo (Gift Article): Fentanyl is fueling a record number of youth drug deaths.

4

You Veep What You Sow

"In recent weeks, Ms. Shanahan has largely scrubbed her social media feeds, two people familiar with her and the Kennedy campaign said. Her social accounts are now populated with shots of herself without makeup at a farmers’ market as well as wearing Western gear and posing with rifles... In the past, her feeds showed her dressed up for high-end events and posing for selfies." Participants in our political process have become so cynical and ridiculous. RFK Jr tried to get Aaron Rodgers to be his running mate, but he was too busy playing quarterback and peddling conspiracy theories. So he ended up with Nicole Shanahan who ended up with a very unflattering profile in the NYT (Gift Article): ‘Silicon Valley Princess’: Inside the Life of Nicole Shanahan, R.F.K. Jr.’s Running Mate.

5

Extra, Extra

Snake Oil From a Fish? "As an excellent source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, daily fish oil supplements are a popular way to keep the risk of cardiovascular disease at bay. About 20% of adults older than age 60 in the United States frequently use these products with the aim of supporting heart health." So why does this headline feel so predictable? Fish oil supplements may raise risk of stroke, heart issues, study suggests.

+ Money Whoas: According to a recent poll, "55% believe the economy is shrinking, and 56% think the US is experiencing a recession, though the broadest measure of the economy, gross domestic product (GDP), has been growing. 49% believe the S&P 500 stock market index is down for the year, though the index went up about 24% in 2023 and is up more than 12% this year. 49% believe that unemployment is at a 50-year high, though the unemployment rate has been under 4%, a near 50-year low." Majority of Americans wrongly believe US is in recession – and most blame Biden.

+ Creating a Monster: "The New York Times identified hundreds of civilians abducted in the largest campaign of forced disappearances of the war. It all led back to one man. America’s Monster. The culture of lawlessness and impunity he created flew in the face of endless promises by American presidents, generals and ambassadors to uphold human rights and build a better Afghanistan. And it helps explain why the United States lost the war." NYT (Gift Article): America’s Monster: How the U.S. Backed Kidnapping, Torture and Murder in Afghanistan.

+ Getting Some Recognition: "Spain, Ireland and Norway said Wednesday that they would recognize a Palestinian state on May 28, a step toward a long-held Palestinian aspiration that came amid international outrage over the civilian death toll and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip following Israel’s offensive."

+ The 4th of July: "Rishi Sunak has called a surprise early election for 4 July in a contest that will see Keir Starmer try to take power for Labour after 14 years of Conservative-led government." Here's the latest from BBC.

+ Modi Operandi: "Interviews with political figures, experts, and activists revealed a sustained campaign where Narendra Modi’s government threatens American citizens and permanent residents who dare speak out on the declining state of the country’s democracy. This campaign has not been described publicly until now because many people in the community  — even prominent ones — are too afraid to talk about it." Vox: “Everyone is absolutely terrified”: Inside a US ally’s secret war on its American critics.

+ The AIs Have It: Charlie Warzel on OpenAI’s Scarlett Johansson debacle. "On its own, this seems to be yet another example of a tech company blowing past ethical concerns and operating with impunity. But the situation is also a tidy microcosm of the raw deal at the center of generative AI, a technology that is built off data scraped from the internet, generally without the consent of creators or copyright owners ... At the core of these deflections is an implication: The hypothetical superintelligence they are building is too big, too world-changing, too important for prosaic concerns such as copyright and attribution. The Johansson scandal is merely a reminder of AI’s manifest-destiny philosophy: This is happening, whether you like it or not." (Even ChatGPT is like, "Yeah, that sounds about right.") I covered this topic in yesterday's lead item: That's What Her Said. Meanwhile, Tech giants pledge AI safety commitments — including a ‘kill switch’ if they can’t mitigate risks. Self regulation by big tech? I wouldn't believe that pitch even if it were delivered in ScarJo's voice.

6

Bottom of the News

"In the US, according to Phillip Fry, host of the All About Pigeons Podcast, which covers Europe, Australia and the US, 80% of the new intake of his pigeon racing clubs are aged 20 or below, a demographic matched in Europe." I knew I was generally out of touch with the young crowd. But I had no idea that pigeon racing was currently in vogue.