BIG Scoop

The preceding essays in this series have mapped the new terrain of conflict: mineral chokeholds that determine what can be built, energy shell games that determine what can be moved, machine-speed systems that compress decision cycles, narrative filters that shape what the public accepts as true, and quiet resource captures that shift the balance of endurance.  The Iranian flashpoint serves as both catalyst and stress test for an emerging order. Principled war strategy begins with the...

Since the war in Iran started in late February, everyone has been anxiously following crude oil prices because energy prices affect every household and business every day. The impact of the war has been significant, as illustrated in the crude oil price chart below. Suddenly, evening news reports provide a daily update on consumer gasoline prices. Figure 1 – Source: Petroleum markets responded to disruptions in the Middle East in the second quarter, EIA The impact of...

Artificial intelligence governance is often described in terms of principles. Fairness, accountability, transparency, and safety have become the dominant language through which organizations signal responsible deployment. These principles appear in policy frameworks, regulatory proposals, and corporate commitments across jurisdictions. Yet the operational reality of AI deployment reveals a persistent and widening gap between declared ethics and executed decisions. The central issue is not the absence of ethical frameworks, but the conditions under which those frameworks...

The Iranian flashpoint was never only about oil, missiles, and nuclear sites. It is a live demonstration of a deeper contest: control over the 17 rare-earth and critical minerals that make modern weapons possible. Without them, precision-guided munitions, drone swarms, satellite constellations, fighter-jet radars, and the next generation of autonomous systems simply do not function at the scale necessary to project, demonstrate, and sustain power. As fellow BIG Media contributor Kaase Gbakon pointed out eloquently (Clean...

The eerie photo above, which I took in 1982, makes me feel hot just looking at it. Many images with a similar tone have been used showing forest fires or ultra-hot weather with glowing, reddish to orange-coloured skies to burn the image into our minds of the alleged out-of-control heating of our planet from human emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). I will tell you more about this photograph near the end of this article. After...

Conversations about energy, particularly about electricity generation, are often dominated by people favouring a particular generation method. We hear that solar and wind can power the world, that nuclear is the way of the future, or that coal and natural gas are doing a great job and should just continue. Each conjures its own set of figures “proving” that solar is cheapest, or that only coal is reliable, or whatever preconceived notion they want...

Artificial intelligence now shapes decisions that once belonged exclusively to humans. It influences who receives a loan, which medical images are escalated for review, how online speech is ranked, and increasingly how governments and corporations assess risk. As these systems have grown in power and reach, the question of regulation has moved from a niche policy concern to a central issue of public trust. Yet while governments around the world are rushing to assert...

A law meant to correct historical injustice in South Africa became a subject of misinformation earning Africa’s biggest economy a damning indictment from the United States’ highest office. With the two countries’ biggest trade agreement having expired last month, will South Africa be able to explain its way out of the predicament? Will the Trump administration reverse its position? On May 21, President Donald Trump held an hour-long press conference with South African President Cyril...

The United States government’s withdrawal of President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) funding earlier this year has left budget deficits in countries across the Sub-Sahara. The program has been crucial in the fight against human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) on the African continent. Since its inception in 2003, the U.S. government has invested over $100 billion in HIV/AIDS response globally, reportedly saving over 25 million lives, preventing new infections, and supporting countries with...

Sometimes when one dives into the data, there are assumptions about anticipated findings that are completely overturned by the raw numbers. On other occasions – as is the case on this project – the data confirms the original assumptions, but provides clarification and deeper understanding. It is unlikely to surprise anyone to learn that house prices in larger cities are typically more expensive than in smaller cities. It is widely known that your average homebuyer...