Failed Utopia Anna Roberts

Over twenty years ago, Dubai began constructing the world's largest artificial archipelago of islands, designed to be a lavish oasis for the super-rich. Today, the islands stand mostly empty and some are sinking back into the sea, but the developers and government of Dubai refuse to give up on the mind boggling mega-project. Let me tell you about this astonishing feat of engineering, how it did work--kind of, but also hasn’t panned out the way they hoped, and why they’ll probably never let this one go no matter how bad an idea it was.
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Nakheel PropertiesDubai Set To Open Heart Of Europe With 6 Outrageous Themed IslandsThe World is sinking: Dubai islands 'falling into the sea'Owner of Dubai's 'little Britain' jailed for non-payment of chequesSecond Irish property investor kills himself over financial problemsWritten and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Merchandise: www.failedutopia.com/shop

Why most New Year’s resolutions fail, the Babylonians and Romans, putting our hands on a peacock, setting and getting goals, habit formation, motivation vs. discipline, believing you deserve to have what you want, and what procrastination really is (you’re not lazy).
Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website.
Links & Resources
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988
Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741 741
Domestic Violence Helpline: 1-800-799-7233
VictimConnect, a referral helpline for victims of crime: 1-855-484-2846
For veterans, Make The Connection
America's Top New Year's Resolutions for 2023 StatistaAtomic Habits by James ClearHow Long Does it Actually Take to Form a New Habit? (Backed by Science) James Clear
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Merchandise: www.failedutopia.com/shop

The Theranos saga continues. Updates on Elizabeth Holmes' sentencing and Sunny Balwani's trial and verdict.
Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website.
Links & Resources
Theranos Full Explainer: https://failedutopia.com/theranos/
Holmes Trial & Verdict Updates:
YouTube https://youtu.be/P9xR6jn84kU
Audio only https://failedutopia.com/theranos-update/
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Merchandise: www.failedutopia.com/shop

Colonialism and utopianism, as Thomas More coined the term, have been linked since the early sixteenth century when European explorers began taking stock of newly accessible lands that would later become colonies. Colonists had the expectation of achieving a much better life by settling in "new" lands, while producing a dystopia for the original inhabitants. Optimistic colonists didn’t always find what they expected, but for centuries they continued to emigrate and settle, driven by utopian projections of what their new lives would be like. Today we talk about one of the first colonies in the New World and how it all went wrong.
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Links & Resources
Roanoke Colony World History EncyclopediaThe Roanoke Colonies Encyclopedia VirginiaThe Roanoke Colonies James Horn, The First Colony FoundationHave We Found the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island?Archaeologists May Have Finally Solved the Mystery of the Disappearance of Roanoke’s Lost ColonyRoanoke’s ‘Lost Colony’ Was Never Lost, New Book Says
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Merchandise: www.failedutopia.com/shop

Let’s talk about an environmental catastrophe that turned a tourism and wildlife paradise into a toxic wasteland. This is something that we’re starting to see happening all over the world and that’s only going to become more of a problem in the future thanks to climate change. 
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Ghost towns and toxic fumes: How an idyllic California lake became a disasterHow California’s Salton Sea went from vacation destination to toxic nightmareAs the Great Salt Lake Dries Up, Utah Faces an ‘Environmental Nuclear Bomb’Lake Urmia, Iran’s Tarnished Gem
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Merchandise: www.failedutopia.com/shop

The Church of Love: Chonda-Za, Love Angels, lonely hearts, and a whole lot of questionable love letters. Plus, self-delusion and seeing things for what they are.
Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website.
Links & Resources
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988
Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741 741
Domestic Violence Helpline: 1-800-799-7233
VictimConnect, a referral helpline for victims of crime: 1-855-484-2846
For veterans, Make The Connection
Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self-Deceiving Brain by Shankar Vedantam & Bill MeslerHidden Brain: Lonely HeartsChurch Of Love Drama: Sex, Money, Angels And Broken Dreams AP News 1988Knights of Chonda-Za Chicago Tribune 1988Church of Love operators plead innocent to fraud The Daily Dispatch 1987‘Church of Love’ wasn’t quite angelic Quad-City Times 1989Successful love angel: ‘Pure and wholesome’ The Des Moines Register 1988
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Merchandise: www.failedutopia.com/shop