Narrative A

The rise in cases of Candida auris fungus is extremely alarming. While dealing with one public health crisis, medical workers failed to prevent another. There is a reason why infection protocols exist and must be strictly adhered to regardless of wider developments in public health, even the emergence of pandemics.

Narrative B

While news of a new "dangerous" fungus sounds very worrying, the majority of people need not be concerned about Candida auris. Although medical professionals should be aware about the potential for infection and need to effectively diagnose this fungus, the CDC doesn't need to panic the majority in the US who won't be affected by this development.

Narrative A

Afghanistan has a long history of earthquakes, many of which occur in the mountainous Hindu Kush region that borders Pakistan. Afghanistan and the larger part of south Asia along the Hindu Kush mountains are seismically active because two tectonic plates — known as the Indian and Eurasian plates — are pushing into each other. Not much can be done to protect the country and its neighbors from this unfortunate geographical feature which puts the lives of those living in the area at risk.

Narrative B

People don't usually associate earthquakes with climate change, but they are intimately connected. Scientists are warning that the impacts of global warming could make earthquakes more damaging and deadly. The climate crisis may not directly cause earthquakes, but it has caused more extreme weather over the years, and it's this intensity that puts stress on fault lines. By doing more about climate change, it is possible that this aggravating factor of the severity of quakes could be tempered in the future.

Nerd narrative

There's a 50% chance that at least 83K will die as a result of the most deadly earthquake between 2029, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-establishment narrative

The ruling is both a relief for the plaintiffs and a sobering reminder of the lawlessness that has long prevailed in Haiti, with its notoriously weak and dysfunctional rule of law. Add to this the rampant gang violence, with hundreds of deaths this year alone, which has further exacerbated an already dire humanitarian crisis. It's time for the international community to intervene to protect Haiti from itself.

Establishment-critical narrative

While the ruling is a stark reminder of the lawlessness that prevails in Haiti, the fact that the Caribbean island has never had a real chance to develop as a sovereign nation since the 1804 revolution is readily ignored. It is the West that has always interfered in Haiti's internal affairs and destabilized the country in order to determine its fate. Only as a truly independent nation will Haiti be able to protect its own citizens.

Establishment-critical narrative

Israel has been carrying out air strikes against suspected Iranian weapons transfers and personnel and its proxies in Syria for almost a decade. Though the strikes are part of a low-intensity conflict to slow Iran's growing entrenchment in Syria, the West has seemingly dropped its previous plan of diplomacy to allow Israel and other allies to, instead, use military force to settle its grievances with Tehran — a risky strategy that underestimates the magnitude and repercussions of a military escalation.

Pro-establishment narrative

Syria is a conflict zone with many actors, all of which can cause this "shadow war" to go hot, and Iran — with its coordinated effort with Russia, which controls much of the Syrian airspace — risks pushing it over the edge. Israel has been clear that it will not permit Iran to freely move weapons and fighters through Syria if such activities threaten Israeli security, and is right to target Iranian assets in any of the countries into which Tehran has dug its tentacles.

Nerd narrative

There's a 15% chance that a state-based conflict between Israel and Iran will cause at least 1K deaths before 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Narrative A

Google might be rushing out Bard too soon because of pressure from its competitors. It was already walking a fine line, hoping it doesn’t lose users of its profitable search business to the AI bot. Now it also has to worry about a misinformation problem that could tarnish the company’s reputation. Google might regret not waiting for Bard to be near-perfect while the other companies struggle through their AI rollouts.

Narrative B

Google may as well get out in front of the AI race because it has something the other companies don’t – a leading search engine that can be a backup for mistakes Bard makes or information it can’t find. For now, Bard is a complement to search. But as it works out the kinks, Google may have just started the future of search.

Anti-Russia narrative

Russia and Putin are spreading disinformation about depleted uranium shells. These are standard components in modern militaries and have nothing to do with nuclear weapons or capabilities. The health risks associated with these weapons are low.

Pro-Russia narrative

The UK plan to ship depleted uranium shells risks an escalation of the conflict. These shells have well-documented health repercussions for the local population, and Russia will have to recalculate its approach accordingly. The UK is urged to reconsider its decision.

Nerd narrative

There's a 20% chance that Russia will use at least one nuclear weapon on Kyiv before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-establishment narrative

This global crisis hurts areas with both too much and too little water. In countries like the US, where water is abundant, flooding causes catastrophic infrastructure and economic damage; in other countries, a lack of clean water causes health risks on an endemic scale. As water is difficult to ship from abundant regions to water-scarce regions, the global community must come together in sharing existing analytical data to develop programs to reverse scarcity and slow overuse.

Establishment-critical narrative

Governments and NGOs have understood the dangers of unsustainable living since the 1950s, but despite countless UN summits and White House conferences, these so-called leaders and experts have remained under the thumb of the big businesses that own them. The clock is ticking for many environmental issues, but the UN is unlikely to reverse course and implement the global action plan it's been promising for over half a century.

Narrative C

Talk of an impending global water crisis mirrors talk of an impending climate catastrophe — there is an "Incredible Disappearing Doomsday Effect." All too often, science remains the same, but the interpretation of data and public discourse walks a tightrope between apocalypse and hope. The truth is nuanced and somewhere in the middle — Doomsday scenarios simply haven't materialized.

Nerd narrative

There's a 50% chance that humans will be able to capture water from volatile sources in the inner solar system by September 2050, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-establishment narrative

The draconian legislation promotes hatred and homophobia and seeks to strip LGBTQ+ individuals of their fundamental rights — including freedom of expression, privacy, and equality guaranteed under international human rights instruments to which Uganda is a party. The government must protect all people from violence and discrimination, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. To criminalize people simply for being who they are is morally repugnant.

Establishment-critical narrative

The West is quick to condemn anything that goes against its cultural imperialism but fails to realize that this bill is the direct result of its meddling. Shadowy international forces continue to promote and impose their morals on Africans, who have been forced to respond in kind. It's essential to protect Uganda's traditional family values, diverse culture, and the future of its children, even in the face of the West's financial blackmail.

Nerd narrative

There's a 50% chance that at least 16.2% of the world's population will live in countries where same-sex marriage is legal in 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Anti-China narrative

China is in the throes of demographic and economic crises of its own making. After its brutal and failed one-child policy, China is trying to reverse startling trends of population decline, but it cannot reverse this unavoidable demographic disaster. China is at risk of losing its economic power as its labor-age population dwindles, and there's no quick fix for this problem.

Pro-China narrative

Some are all too eager to count on China’s economic demise amid decreasing birth rates, but China’s modernization efforts were built to withstand a shrinking population and maintain a strong economy into the future. In the short term, China will not feel the effects of its aging population, and it's already on the path to developing long-term solutions to modernize and strengthen its population and economy.

Nerd narrative

There's a 50% chance that China’s fertility rate will be at least 1.25 births per woman in 2031, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Narrative A

The housing market is coming back thanks to buyers who are conscious of changing mortgage rates and taking advantage of even the slightest dip, even as the spring buying season is just beginning. Prices could become even more affordable moving forward, but the lack of inventory means it’s still a good time to sell a home. Everybody’s winning in this recovery.

Narrative B

Don’t uncork the champagne yet. This data was computed before Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank’s collapses, which are causing unrest throughout the banking sector. There should be less consumer demand and tightened lending standards from banks for a while now, and there’s also a chance the Fed will do another major rate hike. The housing market, like the economy as a whole, is too unstable to celebrate.