Extra, Extra
Photo Finish: Groucho Marx supposedly said, “I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.” That’s the way I feel about end of the year photo collections. They’re always interesting to look it, but it’s probably bad news if you actually appear in any of the photos. Let’s kick off the season with Time’s Top 100 Photos of 2023.
+ WaterWorld: “Mexico is running out of drinking water. From the arid and desert regions of the country’s north to sun-baked tropics of the south, water shortages are becoming increasingly common—and the national implications are already being felt in the form of mass protests, economic threats, and increasing attention by the leading candidates in the country’s presidential race.” Welcome to the future. Mexico’s Water Crisis Is Spilling Over Into Politics.
+ The Haves and the Have Lots: “The champagne coupe is a fitting image for the great carbon divide that we are living through. The last time wealth inequality was as pronounced as it is now was during that belle époque of the 1920s. Then, it was bad enough as a cause of social misery and international instability. Today, it is arguably much worse because the gulf between the haves and have-nots extends to their carbon emissions, which heightens suffering from the climate crisis and impedes efforts to find a solution.” A small group of wealthy people and nations create most of the carbon. The poorer masses suffer the outcome. The great carbon divide. For those scoring at home, here’s The State of the Planet in 10 Numbers.
+ Coyote Ugly: “Coyotes drop off over 300 migrants at a miles-long gap in the border wall in the Southern California desert. When the migrants cross it, they find themselves on the outskirts of the tiny community of Jacumba, population about 600. They end up at camps like this one, an open field near the highway, where Border Patrol has told them to wait. Activists and locals say it’s a humanitarian disaster. And they say no one is helping.” Border Patrol sending migrants to unofficial camps in California’s desert, locals say.
+ The Buy and Buy: The internet has created a great way for companies to make money. For individuals, it’s created a really efficient way to spend. Amanda Mull: It’s Too Easy to Buy Stuff You Don’t Want.
