Fast or slow furniture? Asymptomatic infections are not confined to COVID-19. Plants can social distance? Tap water hesitancy
One of my favorite food memes is the distinction between fast and slow foods. But it seems the fast-slow argument between craft and utility may well apply to furniture as well.
“The EPA estimates that 9 million tons of furniture are tossed every single year. That’s roughly 5% of everything brought to landfills (a sizable chunk, especially when you consider the amount of food waste and packaging materials thrown away). Not only is it wasteful, but it’s also not a good investment.
Most of the furniture currently cluttering dumps was made within the last 10 to 15 years…”
From Architectural Digest, The Fast Furniture Problem
Being infected with COVID-19 is not synonymous with being symptomatic. Why would that be? It has to do with low T, not the one advertised for gym rats, low T as in T cells.
“But for most of human existence, we didn’t know that viruses could infect us asymptomatically. We didn’t know how to look for them, or even that we should. The tools of modern science have slowly made the invisible visible: Antibody surveys that detect past infection, tests that find viral DNA or RNA even in asymptomatic people, and mathematical models all show that viruses are up to much more than making us sick. Scientists now think that for viruses, a wide range of disease severity is the norm rather than the exception.”
From The Atlantic, You Probably Have an Asymptomatic Infection Right Now
Do plants know something we do not?
“Generally, plants are constantly communicating and engaged with other organisms in their ecosystems. But when these ongoing connections threaten to cause more harm than good, plants can exhibit a form of social distancing.”
From The Conversation, Plants thrive in a complex world by communicating, sharing resources and transforming their environments
Another piece from The Conversation. Is it possible that there is such a thing as tap water hesitancy – the strange action of not drinking from your tap and instead consuming the satanic evil of sugary beverages. Or perhaps purchasing bottled water with all the plastic that goes with it.
“Other research has shown that about 2 million Americans don’t have access to clean water. Taking that into account, our findings suggest that about 59 million people have tap water access from either their municipality or private wells or cisterns, but don’t drink it. While some may have contaminated water, others may be avoiding water that’s actually safe.
Water insecurity is an underrecognized but growing problem in the U.S. Tap water distrust is part of the problem. And it’s critical to understand what drives it, because people who don’t trust their tap water shift to more expensive and often less healthy options, like bottled water or sugary drinks.”
