Emergency rooms’ fluorescent lights never go out, but they do become quieter in the late hours of the night. Chairs made of plastic creak. Nurses move swiftly, looking at screens that now show algorithmic risk scores in addition to vital signs. Hospitals in Arizona are suing over what they claim is bias in artificial intelligence tools used to prioritize emergency care, making those numbers the focus of a moral and legal battle. The dispute arises at a time when predictive software is being used extensively in medicine to promise speed and efficiency in busy emergency rooms. However, doctors in Tucson…
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The marble lobbies still shine and the doormen still wear white gloves on a chilly afternoon along Central Park South. Manhattan’s opulent skyscrapers don’t evoke a sense of retreat. Brokers, however, speak in low tones about listings sitting longer, price reductions negotiated in back rooms, and clients discreetly inquiring about rentals in the Dallas suburbs rather than the Hamptons. It’s not a panic. More like a gradual loosening. Rich people have been moving to low-tax states like Florida, Texas, and others in recent years. The justifications seem more pragmatic than ideological. While Texas does not collect state income tax, top…
It is easy to imagine what planners see when they stand on a freshly cleared plot of land along Toronto’s eastern waterfront. Towers of glass rise. Cafés on sidewalks are bustling. invisible signals that carry traffic data and video calls, among other things. What is unique about this vision, however, is not what will be added, but rather what will be omitted. Plans for a neighborhood that is entirely powered by 5G connectivity rather than conventional WiFi networks have been approved by the Toronto City Council. The decision suggests a future where internet access only occurs through cellular infrastructure, doing…
On a chilly morning, Utah Lake appears surprisingly motionless. Beneath the Wasatch Mountains, the water is flat and reflects the pale winter light. Flocks of birds skim the surface, their wings barely breaking the stillness. There’s a feeling of something ancient here, something that has endured generations of plans and promises, as you stand along the shoreline close to Provo. The proposed $5 billion island housing development feels so abrupt because of that quiet permanence. An ambitious plan to construct a man-made island in the lake with housing for tens of thousands of people and environmental restoration around it has…
The traffic stopped long enough for an unusual event to occur on a recent afternoon along Oxford Street. The street seemed oddly wider, almost theatrical, without the steady crawl of delivery vans and black taxis. As if rediscovering land that had always been theirs, people stopped in the middle of the road and drifted diagonally rather than straight toward storefront windows. Perhaps this moment of silence was a prelude to something more permanent. As part of a larger initiative spearheaded by Mayor Sadiq Khan to transform one of the busiest business districts in Europe, the West End of London is…
The homes on some streets in the West Island of Montreal have always seemed a little out of proportion to their surroundings, rising behind trimmed hedges and expansive driveways that appear to be built to accommodate larger cars, larger families, and possibly a more subdued form of wealth. Their windows glow amber against the early darkness on chilly evenings, letting heat pour into possibly empty rooms. The amount of energy these homes silently use to stay comfortable is difficult to ignore. Those extra square feet are now turning into a cost. CategoryDetailsCityMontrealProvinceQuebecPolicyProposed climate tax targeting homes larger than 3,000 square…
Late in the afternoon, the email arrived in silence, passed between administrators, and had formal language but clearly political overtones. Budget officers started going through spreadsheets that hadn’t been examined this thoroughly in years, tracking line items that seemed ordinary at first but now had new significance, somewhere in the University of Florida’s expansive campus offices. Something that was previously invisible seems to be abruptly being pulled into the light. There is now a strict deadline for Florida’s public universities to reveal all funding allocated to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. CategoryDetailsGoverning AuthorityFlorida Board of GovernorsStateFloridaPolicy RequirementPublic universities must disclose…
Customers stroll slowly through Selfridges’ cosmetics floor on a dreary weekday morning in central London, stopping at counters that are softly lit with white. Lipsticks are arranged in exact rows. Radiance is promised by serums. Everything appears well thought out and even comforting. However, there has been a silent tension developing behind the elegant packaging, one that could soon alter the contents of these products. As part of its larger plan to combat PFAS, a class of synthetic compounds renowned for their extreme persistence, the UK government has hinted at plans to outlaw so-called “forever chemicals” from cosmetics. Scientists and…
The buildings at King’s College London’s Strand campus aren’t the first thing that catchs the eye. The contradiction is what it is. Glass doors with posters about climate justice and carbon neutrality stand next to stone columns that have been smoothed by almost two centuries of foot traffic. Pupils flit from lecture to lecture, gripping coffee cups as their discussions veer between tests and extinction. The university now intends to implement a brand-new feature: a climate impact score that will be linked to each degree. It sounds easy. However, it isn’t. CategoryDetailsInstitutionKing’s College LondonFounded1829LocationLondonSustainability RankingTop 1% globally in QS Sustainability…
That morning’s light in Cape Town had a gentle, forgiving quality that temporarily pauses even serious conversations. As cameras rolled, Prince William stood next to a ridge on Signal Hill and talked about protecting wildlife while grinning effortlessly. However, something more intricate was taking place back in Britain, far from the cliffs and sea air. Even the most well-managed public figures are susceptible to financial questions. CategoryDetailsFull NamePrince WilliamRoyal TitlePrince of WalesMajor EstateDuchy of CornwallEstimated Estate IncomeTens of millions of pounds annuallyOversight AuthorityRoyal HouseholdMajor InitiativeThe Earthshot PrizePublic RoleHeir apparent to the British throneReference Linkhttps://www.royal.uk As the current Prince of Wales…