Human Contact Is Now a Luxury Good – The New York Times, March 23, 2019
As more screens appear in the lives of the poor, screens are disappearing from the lives of the rich. The richer you are, the more you spend to be off-screen, and the more afraid of screens you are. They want their children to play with blocks, and tech-free private schools are booming. Humans are more expensive, and rich people are willing to pay for them. Conspicuous human interaction—living without a phone for a day, quitting social networks, and not answering email—has become a status symbol. All of this has led to a curious new reality: Human contact is becoming a luxury good.
Good Enough to Eat? The Toxic Truth about Modern Food – The Guardian, March 16, 2019
We are now producing and consuming more food than ever, and yet our modern diet is killing us. Why? In recent years, there have been kaleidoscopic transformations in how and what we eat. Many foods have become a piece of engineering designed to please modern eaters, submerged by the marketing and availability of energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods. In the US, more than half of the calorie intake now consists of ultra-processed food. Many countries, such as the UK, are not far behind. The bottom line: Our food is killing us, not through lack of it but through its abundance—“a hollow kind of abundance.”
Extreme Loneliness or the Perfect Balance? How to Work from Home and Stay Healthy – The Guardian, March 25, 2019
More and more people are working where they live, attracted by the promise of flexibility, efficiency and no commute. But at what cost to their wellbeing?
L.A. Grocery Stores Are Selling Out of Celery Thanks to the “Global Celery Juice Movement” – Los Angeles Magazine, March 21, 2019
How Anthony William squeezed a health and wellness empire out of stringy stalks.
Climate Change Is a Security Threat. We Must Act Now – World Economic Forum, March 26, 2019
The Prime Minister of Bangladesh—one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world—says it like it is. The country is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, but with rising sea levels, one-third of its population risks displacement. Every year, it risks losing 2–3 percent of GDP as a result of climate change impacts. She states: “A sense of hopelessness is gripping a population of nearly 160 million people.”
A Striking Stat: “Prescribing” Healthy Food as Medicine
If fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods were subsidized, the US would prevent 3.3 million cardiovascular events; 620,000 deaths; and save over $100 billion in healthcare costs a year.
Source: Tufts University study, March 2019
