Weather Report #44: the Coming Global Food Crisis, the Basketball Surveillance Machine, and the Warehouse as a Machine of Disappearing

Hello, dear reader! Welcome to your Weather Report, a (sometimes) weekly column where I recommend some articles, a book, a movie, and some music for readers to consume.

Here's what you're getting this week:

1. A public service announcement about building and keeping an individual first aid kit
2. Essays, articles, and columns about: the coming global food crisis, Kash Patel's drunken times at the FBI, the warehouse as a machine for disappearances, a sports surveillance panopticon, and the dark story behind a legendary photograph of a brutal killing.
3. A book-length investigation into one of the most corrupt and violent police forces in the United States
4. A parody dystopian comedy thriller that kind of explains everything going wrong with the Burger Reich.
5. Three songs from three different genres that I vibe'd with this week

If you're interested in seeing the recommendations – and supporting Heavy Weather's quest to keep tabs on collapse – you can become a paid subscriber by clicking the button below. Paid subscribers get access to the MEDIA LIST, a comprehensive list of every book, movie, and video game I've ever recommended. If you're already a paid subscriber, thank you very much! This newsletter would literally not be possible without your support.

Public Service Announcement:

Always keep an IFAK on you

On Friday, as I was on my way to a friend's house, I saw a homeless man who was presumably suffering from an opioid overdose. He was unresponsive, shaking, and clammy. After freaking out for a few seconds, I administered Narcan while I called 911. Thankfully, by the time paramedics arrived to check on him, he was somewhat responsive and was able to communicate with them so they could check if he needed more extensive medical care.

The reason I'm telling this story that the only reason that I had the Narcan on me is because I carry an individual first aid kit (IFAK) with me pretty much everywhere. Usually, it just ends being used to sanitize scrapes or to hold over the counter pain medication. But, sometimes I've had to use it for more extensive injuries or situations, like on Friday.

The closest person to an emergency you're living through or witnessing is almost always you. So, you should have the knowledge and items necessary to help in that emergency. IFAKs are worth about $100, or you can build one yourself, which is more cost effective. They're small enough that you can put them in a backpack or a purse, then forget about them until you need them. It can mean the difference between life or death for you or someone else. Then, take a basic First Aid or Stop the Bleed class.

There's a million and one IFAK videos and explainers. Most of them are for bleeding control, not overdoses or other injuries, so shape them to the emergency you think you'll be up against one day.

That's it for this week's free stuff. If you want to see the media recommendations and the link roundup, you can become a paid subscriber today.