This second issue of New Times Always! picks up where the first left off in tracking contemporary change to all corners of the earth. It’s a long story with infinite pieces, of which we uncover a goodly number. They range from a nation-changing story to an unavoidable roundup of key if not critical stories from the political spectrum. New to the second issue are the narrative blocks that precede most posts, designed to make it easier for readers to navigate the onslaught of change we continually chronicle. And on page three we introduce a number of stories from the brighter side of change, giving both readers and editors a somewhat if not total break from seriousness.
Readers are both invited and encouraged to like us on Facebook and to keep up not only with change in the world but in how we cover it. Our new logo says it all, many times over. In today’s world as never before, it’s all about change
Don West for New Times Always!
move over, millennials; generation z is here
Narrative ■
The emergence of Generation Z when some have yet to understand all the talk about Generation X may hold some surprises for you. For one thing, they’re already over 70 million strong and they’re coming into dominance with a completely different outlook than many preceding generations. Their baggage contains a legacy from their parents, who lived through the turning point for the American dream: from an inherent optimism to an enveloping realism, which has been passed on with a belief that now it’s all about winning or losing, with the odds against you. They are already a force to be reckoned with, listened to and accommodated by a rapidly changing society.
antarctica melting, giant ice cracks are just the start
Narrative ■
As the debate about climate change continues to rage between scientists and politicians, this report relates a global disaster in slow motion playing out on the Pine Island Ice Shelf in Antarctica. As the sea water slowly gets warmer its melting increases, putting in peril the huge glaciers it’s holding in place. An iceberg the size of the state of Delaware is already poised to break off the Larsen C Ice Shelf. Meanwhile, a curious world stands by, wondering whether or how soon all its coasts will be under 10 feet of water, and perhaps hoping in any case it will be somebody else’s problem.
univision’s sense of purpose: a newsroom and a lifeline
Narrative ■
The Univision story speaks of a journalism that is off the beaten track whose headlines are dominated by major newspapers and magazines. It tells of the determined effort of a network that’s not only dedicated to a minority audience but spends as much time warding off rumors as it does reporting the news. To those who call it activism Univision calls it being counterpower, as its news team believes journalism to be intended. We call it reassuring in a time when the rampage of social media, fake news and tweaks dominates the national conversation.
the desperate journey of a trafficked girl
Narrative ■
Less rewarding but nevertheless compelling in the globe’s current scheme of things is “The Desperate Journey of a Trafficked Girl,” which details not only the tragic search of thousands for safety and survival. It focuses in particular what young women go through not only in the migration process but what happens not only if they succeed but if they fail. It’s a story hard to tell and equally hard to take
sandy hook Father leonard pozner on death threats
Narrative ■
Equally heart–breaking is the account of a father who lost his son in the massacre of young school children in Sandy Hook and now faces death threats from those who deny it ever happened. One would hope it couldn’t happen here, but conspiracy theories and crazies still seem to thrive.
how dubai became an adrenaline junkie paradise
Narrative ■
We don’t know what to say about the unexpected architectural consequence of Dubai’s emergence as a symbol of opulence and now recklessness as well. In this account of its attractiveness for adrenaline junkies, it claims claiming fame not only for the world’s tallest building but for a litany of daring—dos ranging from skydiving to wakeboarding to wingwalking to ziplining, which provides the option of hanging on to an overhead trolley for a 500-plus meters view of how the other half lives. (We had one in the backyard that was some 50 feet long and cost one broken shoulder.)