An Asian giant hornet taken from the first U.S. nest to be discovered. ELAINE THOMPSON / POOL / AFP via Getty Images
The first U.S. "murder hornet" nest has been discovered and eliminated.
<p>"Murder hornets," or Asian giant hornets as they are officially called, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/murder-hornets-honeybees-us-2645912097.html" target="_self">first emerged</a> as a concern after four sightings of the bee-slaughtering <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/insects" target="_self">insects</a> were verified in Washington State in December 2019. Since then, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) has been working to prevent the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/invasive-species" target="_self">invasive species</a> from establishing a presence in the state, and they made headway towards that goal Saturday when they removed a nest newly discovered near Blaine, Washington.</p><p>"Got 'em," the WSDA wrote in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WAStateDeptAg/posts/10158596587562906" target="_blank">Facebook post</a>.</p>
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7728c1de4b7ce306f2afe8918f938293"><div class="fb-video" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/WAStateDeptAg/videos/3411169195635580" data-allowfullscreen="true"></div></div>
<p>WSDA workers vacuumed the hornets out of the tree cavity where their nest was found and into canisters, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/insects-washington-asia-agriculture-united-states-c235c7f6725460b463af968bb1355445" target="_blank">The Associated Press reported</a>. They donned protective gear thick enough to defend them against the hornets' six-millimeter long stingers. The suits also included face shields because the hornets can spit venom.</p><p>The tree will now be cut down and the nest searched for newborn hornets and to see if any queens have already left. <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/scientists" target="_self">Scientists</a> think there may be other murder hornet nests in Washington State.</p>
<div id="a3b24" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="38572c61a5ebaf7cbdae52cd9f3cf21d"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1320151317495439361" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Quite a morning shooting Asian giant hornets and our WA Ag workers taking them out in Blaine. Love those sting-resi… https://t.co/uooInt70T9</div> — Elaine Thompson /// journalism matters (@Elaine Thompson /// journalism matters)<a href="https://twitter.com/ElaineMThompson/statuses/1320151317495439361">1603583575.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Murder hornets earned their nickname because they attack in groups and can inject a victim with as much venom as a snake bite. They are native to China, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam and other Asian countries, where they kill as many as three dozen people every year.</p><p>While that may sound like a lot, species of wasps, hornets and bees already common in the U.S. kill an average of 62 people a year, The Associated Press pointed out.</p><p>The main danger that Asian giant hornets pose is to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/honeybees" target="_self">honeybees</a>: A small group of them can kill an entire hive within hours, the <a href="https://agr.wa.gov/about-wsda/news-and-media-relations/news-releases?article=31875" target="_blank">WSDA said</a>.</p>
<p>Honeybees in Japan have evolved to surround invading hornets and vibrate until they cook the intruder alive, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/23/murder-hornet-us-first-nest-found-washington-state" target="_blank">The Guardian reported</a>. But North American honeybees have not evolved with Asian giant hornets, so they would not have any such defense strategies. Farmers are concerned that the hornets could devastate U.S. honeybee populations if they were to spread. This would also have serious consequences for all the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/food" target="_self">foods</a> that bees pollinate.</p><p>The WSDA discovered the first U.S. Asian giant hornet nest around 4 p.m. on Oct. 22. The nest was located after the WSDA tied radio trackers to some captured hornets with dental floss, The Associated Press reported.</p>
<div id="ef0b1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4b5bd1f1de8027364b6a15f8bfb6a358"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1319651074744094720" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The rumors are true - our entomologists located the first-ever #AsianGiantHornet nest in the U.S. late yesterday. P… https://t.co/0LmpZToVHj</div> — WA St Dept of Agr (@WA St Dept of Agr)<a href="https://twitter.com/WSDAgov/statuses/1319651074744094720">1603464308.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The first Asian giant hornet was trapped in the U.S. in July, the WSDA said. Since then, its entomologists have been working to locate and eliminate any nests.</p>
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An aerial view shows drought conditions in the Amazon rainforest on Feb. 20, 2015 in Brazil. Lena Trindade / Brazil Photos / LightRocket / Getty Images
By Jennifer Ann Thomas
For the first time, researchers have developed a model capable of anticipating drought periods in the Amazon up to 18 months in advance. The study was conducted by scientists from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), in Germany, as part of the Tipping Points in the Earth System (TiPES) project, led by physicist Catrin Ciemer and published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.
<p>The model was developed based on surface temperature analysis of the Atlantic Ocean. The relation between the humidity of the oceans and the rainfall regime in the Amazon is part of the intrinsic functioning of the biomes. Any variation in temperature, as a result of global warming, is enough to trigger a series of consequences.</p><p>According to physicist and study co-author Niklas Boers, the early-warning system developed by the group is based on a very simple mechanism: "We discovered that every two years the surface temperatures in the north and south tropical Atlantic develop a dipole, a phenomenon that occurs when temperatures increase in one region and decrease in another."</p><p>The drought forecast alert is issued when this pattern begins to develop. "The dipole modifies the direction of the trade winds, which take moisture from the Atlantic Ocean to South America. This change of direction is responsible for causing droughts mainly in the center-south of the Amazon," Boers said. From the model they developed, the researchers were able to trace back six of the seven main drought events that have occurred in the Amazon since the 1980s.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDU5MDk1Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MTEyOTM5MX0.6RM-Ryoiz3vfY9Dx2ocN14yrDAN91nn3Yk0okz-s0YI/img.jpg?width=980" id="ca886" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e04a515f2eb64460d1cc274c685bbc02" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Average monthly sea surface temperature (in degrees Celsius, red scale) and average continental rainfall in South America (in millimeters/month, blue scale) from 1981 to 2016. Sea surface temperatures and precipitation are generally higher around the equator. On the left, the area where El Niño – Southern Oscillation (ENSO) occurs; dotted lines indicate the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) in January and July, responsible for transporting heat and humidity from the oceans around the tropics.
<p>Carlos Nobre, a renowned Brazilian climate scientist who was not involved in the study, said global warming is making the northern cycle of warmer waters stronger and more present. In the future, he said, we should expect the southern Amazon to become less humid. "The mega droughts of 2005, 2010 and the ongoing one are directly associated with the increase in temperatures in the north tropical Atlantic Ocean," Nobre said.</p><p>"However, unlike in previous years, the current mega drought began in May and June, not interfering in the rains during the summer season. It is too early to say that the warmer waters will continue throughout the months and if they will cause a continued drought until the next rainy season."</p><p>In a context of global warming, there is a close connection between rising ocean temperatures and environmental balance, and the repercussions are felt deep into the forest: what happens on the high seas can impact life in the Amazon.</p><p>Janaína Bumbeer, an oceanographer and science and conservation analyst with the Boticário Group Foundation for Nature Protection, said it's not enough to only understand a single aspect of ecology — it's necessary to understand phenomena in a systemic way. "The relation between the ocean temperature, the climate and the winds is very delicate," said Bumbeer, who was not involved in the new study. "Any increase of 1° Celsius [1.8° Fahrenheit] affects the rainfall regime on the continent." The greater the frequency of anomalies in the seas, she said, the more recurrent the extreme climatic events.</p>
<p>Faced with the effects of climate change, there is a risk that the Northern Hemisphere will heat up faster than the South, which would stimulate the occurrence of the Atlantic dipole and lead to a more intense frequency of droughts in the Amazon.</p><p>Even with the possibility of predicting a drought period in the region, there is little to be done to actually mitigate the direct impacts on the forest. People who live in the Amazon, especially rural farmers, traditional communities, Indigenous people, and those who depend on river transportation to get around (water levels can become so low that navigability becomes impossible) will be the ones who will benefit from the information, the researchers say. "Indirectly, [with the drought forecast alert] it is possible to have a positive influence on the Amazon ecosystem. The more in advance farmers and traditional communities can plan, the less traumatic the interference of the climate will be," Boers said.</p><p>With drought comes another concern: an increase in fires, directly associated with illegal deforestation. According to data from Brazil's National Space Research Institute (INPE), in September of this year, 31,017 hot spots were recorded, the second-worst September in a decade and a 60% increase from the same month last year. Because the Amazon is a humid tropical forest, fire is not part of the biome's natural dynamics, as it is in the temperate forests of the U.S. West Coast. In the Amazon, fires are usually associated with human actions. And in periods of drought, hotspots have the right conditions to grow in extent and to cause greater impacts on the ecosystem.</p><p>"There are innumerous evidence on the possibility of the forest becoming a savanna through the effects of human action," Boers said. "The biome is already very close to the <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2019/12/the-tipping-point-is-here-it-is-now-top-amazon-scientists-warn/" target="_blank">tipping point</a>."</p><p>Such a large-scale effect would lead to an increase in carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, which would further accelerate global warming. The study's underlying message is that all natural phenomena are interconnected. And it demonstrates that as humanity persists on the current economic model of consumption, the effects on the planet will only get worse, to the point of endangering the world's largest tropical forest and its rich biodiversity.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/10/atlantic-trends-can-predict-amazon-drought-18-months-away-study-finds/" target="_blank">Mongabay</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Are you noticing your shirts becoming too tight fitting to wear? Have you been regularly visiting a gym, yet it seems like your effort is not enough? It's okay to get disappointed, but not to lose hope.
<p>We are bombarded with the idea that being physically active, eating nutritious foods, and cutting down calorie intake will do the magic. How much time can you dedicate for each, though?</p><p>That's where supplements should be given a good look. Dietary supplements for weight loss have been viewed as an excellent alternative to shed off pounds. Professionals, athletes, and ordinary citizens rely on it to stay fit and healthy while achieving their optimal function. </p><p>Perhaps you've heard a thing about the ProVen supplement. Is it any good? Let this review guide you throughout making a conversant decision!</p><h2>Who Should Use ProVen? </h2>
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<p>Almost one-third of youths and two-third of adults are obese or overweight. Over 60 percent of obese and 45 percent overweight try to lose unwanted fats.</p><p>Besides implementing a healthy lifestyle, around fifteen percent of them have relied on weight loss supplements – with women racing in number. </p><p>Obesity can significantly affect your quality of life. Not only your self-confidence and socialization abilities are at risk, but the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4386197/" target="_blank">health impacts</a> are diverse. Diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and respiratory disorders are just some of the health damage you may experience. </p><p>Have you recently noticed a massive drop in your energy? Feeling down all the time? This might be an accompanying symptom due to obesity. In that case, you may want to try the beneficial use of ProVen as early as now and get your morning routine kicking.</p><p>Anyone who wants to get rid of those pounds naturally can use the supplement as long as you want. Even older adults are not restricted. Providing your health is in tiptop shape, of course.</p><p>The natural ingredients are suitable for most people. You won't find it time-consuming or challenging to stick with the pills every day. It is available in a capsule form. Simply pop into your mouth, and you're ready to go!</p><p><strong><em>Click here to <a href="https://supplementscoop.com/proven-eco" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Check out NutraVesta ProVen on the Official Website.</a> </em></strong></p>
<h2>ProVen Review: Overview of NutraVesta's Supplement</h2><p>ProVen is an organic, effective dietary weight loss supplement that targets stubborn fats. It also aids in increasing energy levels and many other associated benefits. </p><p>Your calorie consumption is highly reduced, plus your hormone levels are elevated. As a result, you can achieve your body goal in no time.</p><p>Alongside speeding up weight loss and improving metabolism, this advanced formula also works toward ensuring your body organs will function smoothly. It rinses out all harmful toxins, therefore removing stored fats and avoiding the occurrence of obesity or overweight. </p><p>Don't worry about the possible side effects. There is no such thing that exists with ProVen supplement. Each capsule has undergone strict quality production standards. It is made in the USA, manufactured in an FDA-approved facility. </p><h3>ProVen Creator</h3><p>ProVen is a supplement offered by NutraVesta. It was initially introduced to the world through a widely shared video online. </p><p>The founder explained how obesity has had a massive impact on his wife's life, resulting in a lack of confidence, disappointment in not getting the desired result in spite of all the hard work, and defeat in thinking there's no left alternative. </p><p>This is where ProVen was born, introduced, and shared with thousands of people who have the same struggle.</p>
<h3>Pros & Cons</h3><p>ProVen is not only notorious for its all-natural ingredients. Expect heaps of benefits once you obtain some bottles of it.</p><p><em>Below is the list we have come so far:</em></p><p><strong>Pros:</strong></p><ul><li>100% all-natural formula </li><li>Made in the US </li><li>Made in an FDA & GMP certified facility</li><li>Free from antibiotics, sugar, gluten, and GMO </li><li>Boost the amount of nutrients in your body </li><li>A natural breakthrough </li><li>No adverse side effects </li><li>Convenient to use </li><li>Competitively priced </li><li>Backed up by thousands of satisfied users </li><li>60 days full money-back guarantee </li></ul><p><strong>Cons:</strong></p><ul><li>Available only <a href="https://supplementscoop.com/proven-eco" target="_blank"><strong>on the Official Website</strong></a></li><li>Results may require ample time to come to effect </li><li>Not recommended to take by all groups of people </li></ul>
<h2>Ingredients in ProVen</h2><p>Just because a product is advertised as 'natural' doesn't mean you should instantly take the bait. What does the label say about the amount of dosage per ingredient? </p><p>Fortunately for the ProVen supplement, each ingredient has a good history in the world of science. It makes the pills effective and trustworthy.</p><p><em>The following are the primary components present in the formula:</em></p><p><strong>Vitamin C & 20mg Vitamin E (30mg)</strong></p><p>Anyone can quickly get these vitamins from a variety of vegetables and fruits. In case you still lack enough amount, ProVen is here to fulfill the gap. Both Vitamins C & E have antioxidant components that cleanse out bad toxins from within. They also fortify bones and enrich overall health. </p><p><strong>Selenium (20mg)</strong> </p><p>It aids in nurturing the immune system and improving the health of your heart. This powerful antioxidant ingredient also improves metabolic function.</p><p><strong>Proprietary Blend (1512mg/serving) </strong></p><p><strong>Green Tea</strong> </p><p><a href="https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/green-tea" target="_blank">Green tea</a> includes an immense array of antioxidants and nutrients that are important both for the health of your brain and heart. </p><p><strong>Turmeric</strong> </p><p>Thanks to turmeric's anti-inflammatory properties, those stubborn fats won't annoy you anymore. Also, it is acclaimed for its anti-aging effects.</p><p><strong>Garlic Bulb</strong></p><p>A superfood that's highly known for its ability to boost immune reaction. Thus, shielding your subtle body from potential illnesses and providing you adequate strength to combat an array of diseases and infections. </p><p><strong>Red Raspberry</strong> </p><p>Supports weight loss, especially when combined with other potent ingredients.</p><p><strong>Grapeseed</strong> </p><p>The unique properties of grapeseed aids in regulating the glucose levels in your body. It is important in reducing weight gain. </p><p><strong>Graviola Leaf</strong></p><p>It is a notable tree mainly found in Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America. Graviola leaf features antiviral, anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidants that help ease inflammation and balance blood sugar.</p><p><strong>Bioflavonoids</strong> </p><p>Another active ingredient in the supplement that regulates weight and improves health resistance. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4372466/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Bioflavonoids</a> are a great source of antioxidants. </p><p><strong>Beta-Glucan</strong> </p><p>It is a soluble fiber form that aims to boost cholesterol and heart health, aside from keeping your blood sugar levels in track. </p><p><strong>Essiac Tea Complex</strong> </p><p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16226859/" target="_blank">Essiac tea</a> is rich in antioxidants that have been shown to help repair DNA and prevent cancer risks. </p><p><strong>Asian Mushroom Complex</strong> </p><p>It is a combination of 3 different mushrooms – shitake, reishi, and maitake. They work together to increase white blood cells' activity and production. Your immunity is seamlessly made robust. </p><p><strong>Cat's Claw</strong> </p><p><a href="https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/cats-claw%23:~:text=Today%252C%2520cat's%2520claw%2520is%2520promoted,parasites%252C%2520and%2520leaky%2520bowel%2520syndrome." target="_blank">Cat's claw</a> is another essential ingredient that your immune system will surely appreciate. It has seen to aid obese patients and acts as a detoxifier. </p><p><strong>Arabinogalactan</strong> </p><p>It is a type of prebiotic that supports weight loss reduction – mainly targeting blood sugar levels. Your starvation, especially for unhealthy foods, will no longer harm your health.</p><p>Other ingredients you can find in the formula include lycopene, pine bark, <a href="https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/asian-ginseng%23:~:text=Today%252C%2520Asian%2520ginseng%2520is%2520used,%252C%2520anxiety%252C%2520erectile%2520dysfunction%252C%2520and" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">ginseng</a>, olive leaf, pomegranate, and quercetin dihydrate. </p><p><strong><em>Click here to </em><a href="https://supplementscoop.com/proven-eco" target="_blank"><em>Learn more about the Ingredients in ProVen on the Official Website</em></a></strong><em><strong><u>.</u></strong></em></p>
<h2>How Does ProVen Work?</h2><p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4049314/" target="_blank">Ghrelin</a> is known as a hormone that alerts your brain whenever it needs proper feeding. But when it functions inappropriately, obesity is likely to arise. </p><p>That could be due to hormone-shifting chemicals in the food and air that triggers its strange working mechanism. Once concealed, you will never be fulfilled with hunger. </p><p>ProVen helps to adjust ghrelin production and detox the human body. The ingredients inside the bottle of ProVen are the core responsible for helping you attain a cola-like body and keep it healthy all-year-round. </p><p>It acts as an appetite suppressant, fat burner, and natural detoxifier. It combines fiber, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, and adaptogens. When consumed according to the dosage, there will be an impressive increase in your energy while minimizing the risks of anxiety and depression. </p><p><em>Here's a look at what this product does for your body: </em></p><ol><li>Detoxify your body to eliminate impurities. This is done in the form of sweat and excretion. </li><li>Metabolism is an important area of weight loss. It converts any usable energy for helping you pep up the day. But if it is working slow, fats tend to store. The pill makes sure the metabolism process is done quickly, so those fats will be exchanged into energy. </li><li>You are now reaching a new fat loss milestone. Your body is fully detoxified, plus the metabolic process is back to its normal operation. In this manner, you can regain your lost confidence and fit into those old jeans again. Such a relief!</li></ol><p>Forget those people who mocked you for not reaching the level of 'beauty' they consider normal…or for just being fat. Those missed opportunities? You can get back to them with a more presentable appearance. Even when you're in the sixties, seventies, or eighties, this fantastic formula lets you experience what a real transformation is.</p><p>To Learn more about how ProVen works, <strong><a href="https://supplementscoop.com/proven-eco" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Click Here</a>.</strong></p>
<h2>Benefits of Using ProVen</h2><p>ProVen stands out among the competition due to its unique ability to improve blood circulation, supply your body with all the nutrients it needs for proper functioning, and detoxify your body. </p><p><em>Let's have a look the healthy benefits:</em></p><h3>Lose Weight Gradually Yet Naturally</h3><p>The product's main focus is to shed off those pounds that continuously affect your regular activities. The ingredients contained helps reduce fat buildup and production without obstructing your immune system or energy. </p><h3>Detoxify Body </h3><p>Most of the substances have antioxidant properties. They are highly beneficial in clearing out toxic elements of any sort and, therefore, detoxify your body. You'll feel more refreshed and energized.</p><h3>Improve Energy and Vitality </h3><p>Say goodbye to exhaustive days with ProVen supplement. Also, the ingredients have energizing effects to help you make each day very productive. </p><h3>Better Heart Health </h3><p>The antioxidants present in the capsules help maintain the overall health of your heart. It also works in boosting its well-being to prevent various illnesses from destroying your health.</p><p>Moreover, other achievable benefits upon taking it include reducing inflammation, maintaining triglycerides, blood pressure, and blood cholesterol, make your skin more radiant, younger, and smoother, and improve your mental health. </p><p>Your digestion is fully improved too. It will aid in accelerating digestion to burn down those calories in a more efficient manner. </p><p>Click here to <strong><a href="https://supplementscoop.com/proven-eco" target="_blank">Learn more about the Benefits of ProVen on the Official Site</a>.</strong></p>
<h2>Side Effects of ProVen</h2><p>Even a formula that is deemed natural and organic can still produce side effects by any means. Rare are those that can hit two birds with one stone, which means delivering effective results without any adverse effects. And, ProVen supplement is one of these rare products. </p><p>How did we say so? </p><h3>The Formula Is Comprised of Natural and Science-Backed Ingredients</h3><p>The manufacturer wants nothing but the best aid for people suffering from the tough battles of obesity and overweight. They have conducted in-depth research for each ingredient before compiling in one formula. </p><p>As per the claim of GetProven, the ingredients are added in the proper blends and amounts to ensure safe consumption. There was no animal testing done, plus the product doesn't contain additives or any other harmful substances. </p><h3>It Is the Finest Quality Produced and Shipped in the US</h3><p>The USA is known for its high-quality goods and items. So, you can trust most of the acquisitions carried out here, including ProVen. </p><p>Not to mention, the pills have been manufactured, implementing the best guidelines for quality maintenance and control. As for the hygiene aspect, the facility is cGMP certified. </p><h3>Lab Results </h3><p>Once you visit the website, you will instantly be directed to the video claiming test results that were performed on willing participants. First is his wife, who lost a hundred pounds. </p><p>Then, there's a Craigslist study where ninety-five percent of participants saw an incredible loss in weight during the first 2 weeks of the product's usage. </p><p>They also experienced a boost in energy after the initial use and an average fat loss of forty pounds within the trial's 4 weeks.</p>
<h2>Who Should Refrain from Using ProVen?</h2><p><em>Anyone, adult or older individuals, can benefit from using the product, excluding:</em></p><ul><li>Children or adolescents below eighteen years old </li><li>Nursing and pregnant women </li><li>People with an underlying medical condition </li><li>People with an allergy to any of the ingredients stated above.</li><li>People who are currently taking a medicine </li></ul><p>How would you know if ProVen is crafted for your weight loss needs by simply talking with your doctor or physician? Even a healthy person is sometimes restricted from taking a supplement, so your case might not be different.</p><h2>Dosage & Tips to Start</h2><p>One bottle of ProVen supplement contains 60 capsules. You have to take a daily dose two times a day. Since it's in a capsule form, integrating it into your routine is no hassle. Just take a glass of water to accompany the capsule. </p><p>Be sure not to overdose or go below the recommended dosage. And as what they always say, be consistent. That's very important. You can see significant changes within a few weeks or months. It takes time, yes, and that's normal for a natural formula. That's because your body might require more time to respond to the ingredients. </p><p>For quick, better results, adapt to nutritious eating habits and regular workouts. Although, it is not necessarily recommended when taking the pill. The choice is yours. </p><p>But if you find this claim a bit skeptical, you can practice healthy habits while taking the supplement. After all, it is intended to fill the gaps in your healthcare routine and not a complete substitute. </p><h2>Where to Buy ProVen and Guarantees? </h2>
<a href="https://supplementscoop.com/proven-eco" target="_blank"><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDU5MjE5Mi9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NTY5NzgxOH0.u7-JhGuqDpry54-8mdrSdiUPrSQrDEkWr7IIe2sftK0/img.png?width=980" id="c1066" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6ba5988f3fab5981535831298b299445" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /></a>
<p>Consumers who are eager to buy ProVen are advised to get one or more bottles <a href="https://supplementscoop.com/proven-eco" target="_blank">from the Official Website</a>. You cannot find it anywhere else, even in your local store.</p><p>So, in case someone offered you the product, it could be a fake formula. This is where your consumer radar should be working. </p><p>The company offers three packages: a one-month package costs $67, a three-month package costs $57/bottle, and a 6-month package costs $47/bottle. Free shipping is included, except for the one-month package. As you know, the more bottles you buy, the higher deals you can get. </p><p>Reliable and fast shipments are also the concern of consumers. In that case, the company partners with some of the reputable carriage services; hence, expect your package to arrive within one to seven business days. </p><p>Good news! There is also global shipping. However, it takes a bit longer to arrive – around seven to fourteen business days.</p><p>If you think the supplement works oppositely, ProVen is backed by a 100% money-back guarantee. You can only take the offer within 60 days. Simply send an email or contact the team directly for further assistance regarding your right to the refund. </p>
<h2>ProVen Reviews: Closing Thoughts</h2><p>ProVen is a natural supplement that can improve weight loss goals. Although, it is also made to aid those who have a weak immune system and constantly fall sick and fatigue. </p><p>It is manufactured in an FDA-certified facility where a strict quality standard is highly implemented. Therefore, you have nothing to worry about since it is completely safe to digest by your stomach. </p><p>Don't let obesity or being overweight stop you from doing what you love. Neither deter you from turning those strangers into new best friends. </p><p>It is a potent and strong natural combat against stubborn fats and associated risks. Take advantage of the 60 days money-back guarantee and know if it will work for you!</p><p><strong><em>Click here to </em><a href="https://supplementscoop.com/proven-eco" target="_blank"><em>Get the Best Deal on NutraVesta ProVen from the Official Website</em></a></strong><em><strong>.</strong></em></p>
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People take a group selfie on top of Parliament Hill in north London, Britain, on Oct. 25, 2020. There have been "dramatic improvements in London's air quality" since 2016, Mayor Sadiq Khan announced. Xinhua / Han Yan via Getty Images
By Sean Fleming
Londoners worrying about air quality can now breathe a little easier, thanks to news from the city's mayor.
<p>There have been "dramatic improvements in London's air quality across the capital since 2016," the office of London Mayor Sadiq Khan says. Those improvements include a 94% reduction in the number of people living in areas that exceed the legal limit for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels. There has also been a marked improvement in the air quality surrounding schools, the <a href="https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/air_quality_in_london_2016-2020_october2020final.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Air Quality in London 2016-2020 report</a> says.</p>
<h3>The ULEZ Example</h3><p>While some of the more recent improvements in air quality might be <a href="https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/assets/documents/reports/cat09/2007010844_Estimation_of_Changes_in_Air_Pollution_During_COVID-19_outbreak_in_the_UK.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">due to reduced emissions levels during the pandemic</a>, the report states there had already been a 35% fall in central London's NO2 levels between 2017 and the pre-lockdown part of early 2020. Much of the achievement has been attributed to the city's ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ), which came into force in April 2019.</p><p>The London ULEZ was the first of its kind and has some of the world's toughest standards. Older vehicles and those with <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone/cars" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">high emissions are subject to a daily charge of around $16</a>. That's in addition to a charge of around $20 to <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/congestion-charge" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">drive in central London's Congestion Charge zone</a>.</p><p>The ULEZ is being gradually widened to cover a greater area of London in late 2021. Similar schemes are now <a href="https://urbanaccessregulations.eu/countries-mainmenu-147" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">commonplace across much of Europe</a>.</p><p>It isn't all good news for London, though. Many thousands of its residents are affected by <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/air-pollution">air pollution</a> levels that exceed World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The problem particularly impacts inner-city parts of London, and the mayor's office warns that "deprived Londoners and [those] from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities" are likely to be "exposed to the worst air pollution."</p>
<h3>Not the Worst – or the Best</h3><p>When compared with the rest of Europe, London's air quality is among neither the worst nor the best. According to a study conducted by Greenmatch, the <a href="https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/2018/11/mapped-europes-most-and-least-polluted-countries#Most" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">three most polluting countries</a> are Turkey, Poland and Latvia. The three with the cleanest air are Sweden, Finland and France.</p><p>Across Europe, <a href="https://www.eea.europa.eu/media/newsreleases/many-europeans-still-exposed-to-air-pollution-2015/premature-deaths-attributable-to-air-pollution" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">more than 500,000 early deaths per year have been blamed on poor air quality</a>. The European Environment Agency looked at data from 40 countries across the continent and calculated the effects on mortality of ozone, PM2.5 fine particulate matter and NO2.</p><p>Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/2018/11/mapped-europes-most-and-least-polluted-countries#Most" target="_blank">the UK's fuel-derived CO2 emissions are slightly better than the European average</a>, according to an analysis of data from WHO, International Energy Agency and Data Worldbank, carried out by the energy service Greenmatch.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDU5MDgyMS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNzQ3ODE2OH0.hw-1XpgE0rdJYghtwn9K28BJXsCYeqwX0rmyxYwpqRw/img.png?width=980" id="60b40" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ca3fe53108d9219031edde7172b447cc" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
<p>In France last year, a court ruled that the state had taken "<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-48762911" target="_blank">insufficient measures concerning the quality of air" in Paris between 2012 and 2016</a>, the BBC reports. The case in question was brought by a woman and her daughter who claimed polluted Parisian air had harmed their health.</p><p>Worldwide, as many as <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/29-10-2018-more-than-90-of-the-world%e2%80%99s-children-breathe-toxic-air-every-day" target="_blank">600,000 children are thought to have died in a single year because of poor air quality</a>. "Polluted air is poisoning millions of children and ruining their lives. This is inexcusable. Every child should be able to breathe clean air so they can grow and fulfill their full potential," Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, wrote in a report in 2018. Analyzing data from 2016, the report also concluded that around 93% of children younger than 15 routinely breathe "air that is so polluted it puts their health and development at serious risk."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/10/london-europe-emissions-limits-air-pollution/" target="_blank">World Economic Forum</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide poses for a portrait on September 14, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan, after being elected Liberal Democratic Party President. Nicolas Datiche / Pool / Getty Images
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced that Japan will become country carbon neutral by 2050, Bloomberg reported.
<p>As the world's third-largest economy, this will require a "fundamental shift" away from coal, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/japan-climate-emissions/2020/10/26/b6ea2b5a-1752-11eb-8bda-814ca56e138b_story.html" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a> reported.</p><p>Suga replaced former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last month, after he resigned due to health issues. This was Suga's first parliament policy speech since taking office. </p><p>He announced, "The Suga administration will seek to make a virtuous cycle between the economy and the environment," Bloomberg reported. "We will put all possible efforts into creating a green society."</p>
<p>Additionally, "Responding to climate change is no longer a constraint on economic growth," <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/japan-climate-emissions/2020/10/26/b6ea2b5a-1752-11eb-8bda-814ca56e138b_story.html" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a> reported from Suga's speech. "We need to change our thinking to the view that taking assertive measures against climate change will lead to changes in industrial structure and the economy that will bring about great growth."</p><p>However, Suga did not offer any details about how carbon neutrality will be achieved, although he referenced carbon recycling and next generation solar cells. The Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hiroshi Kajiyama told reporters that more details will be presented in a report later this year, according to Bloomberg, including wind energy, hydrogen and improved battery storage.<br></p><p>The move follows commitments from other major economies responsible for an outsized share of greenhouse gas emissions, including the world's largest emitter, China.<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/china-climate-action-2060-2648140974.html?rebelltitem=5" target="_self"> China has set a 2060 target </a>for carbon neutrality. Japan is the world's fifth-largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/26/business/japans-carbon-neutrality.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>.</p>
<p>Japanese policy experts believe a number of factors drove the announcement, including mounting pressure from inside Japan to tackle the climate crisis, plus international competition. It would be "somewhat embarrassing for Japan to have a net zero emissions timeline later than China," Takeshi Kuramochi, a climate policy researcher at the NewClimate Institute told The New York Times.</p><p>Sam Annesley, executive director of Greenpeace Japan, added that sustainability should also include a move away from nuclear power. "Nearly 10 years on from Fukushima we are still facing the disastrous consequences of nuclear power, and this radioactive legacy has made clear that nuclear energy has no place in a green, sustainable future," <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/26/japan-will-become-carbon-neutral-by-2050-pm-pledges" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> reported.</p>
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Trump Administration Plans Seismic Testing for Oil in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge This Winter
4h
Politics
A caribou in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Danielle Brigida / CC BY 2.0
The Trump administration released on Friday its plan to start oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) this winter, as The Hill reported.
<p>The <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2003258/510" target="_blank">plan</a> was put forth by the Kaktovik Iñupiat Corporation and released by the Bureau of Land Management. The plan calls for the start of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/seismic-airgun-blasting">seismic testing</a> on millions of acres, spanning an 847.8 square mile area, on the east side of the refuge in an area where polar bears and other <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife">wildlife</a> reside. The seismic testing will allow the Kaktovik Iñupiat Corporation to detect the presence of oil in the area.</p><p>Seismic testing works in a way that is similar to ultrasound technology. It generates acoustic waves deep underground that produce a picture that can pinpoint oil deposits, according to The Hill.</p>
<p>The Bureau of Land Management said it would allow for 14 days of public comment before deciding if it should issue a permit, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/24/climate/anwr-seismic-tests-arctic-refuge.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>.</p><p>Environmental activists have argued that the short timeframe means it is impossible to conduct an adequate environmental review of the proposal. The plan involves using heavy trucks fanned out across the area to create a grid pattern. It also requires a crew of 180 workers who would need ample supplies and mobile living quarters, according to The New York Times.</p><p>The National Wildlife Federation argues that the rushed comment period in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic ensures that public opposition will not be heard adequately.</p>
<p>"This is a desperate attempt to jam through a plan that could kill denning polar bears, imperil other wildlife, threaten the Gwich'in people, and cause long-lasting damage to the Arctic," said Tracy Stone-Manning, associate vice president for public lands at the National Wildlife Federation, in a <a href="https://www.nwf.org/Latest-News/Press-Releases/2020/10-23-20-Arctic-Seismic-Testing" target="_blank">statement</a>. "By rushing this plan through while ordinary Americans are focused on the COVID-19 pandemic and their own health and safety, it's clear this administration wants to cut the public out of public lands in order to advance its dangerously myopic and misguided energy agenda."</p><p>The company intending to conduct the seismic test said it will exercise caution should it encounter any wildlife during its exploration. Environmentalists countered that it's not the interactions that worry them as much as the permanent alterations to the Arctic tundra that could upset the delicate balance of the ecosystem that polar bears and other animals depend on.</p>
<p>"Allowing huge thumper trucks and camps onto sacred lands where they leave deep and lasting wounds is a threat to my people, the animals, our food, and our way of life," said Bernadette Demientieff, the executive director of the Gwich'in Steering Committee, in a statement, as The Hill reported. "We have raised concerns repeatedly about this administration rushing the process and shortcutting our review."</p><p>The Wilderness Society also sees the plan as a politically motivated move that will silence the public.</p><p>"The submission of this application and BLM's choice to act on it so close to the election shows how desperate the administration is to turn over one of the nation's most sensitive landscapes to the oil industry," said Lois Epstein, director of the Arctic program for the Wilderness Society, in a statement, as The New York Times reported. "The federal government is recklessly rushing and irresponsibly denying the public adequate time to assess the application and submit comments."</p><p>The New York Times also noted that the proposal calls for the work to be carried out by Houston-based SAExploration, which declared bankruptcy, and was accused of accounting fraud earlier this month by the Securities and Exchange Commission.</p>
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The Dangerous Fringe Theory Behind the Great Barrington Declaration and Herd Immunity
6h
Insights + Opinion
A memorial project installation of 20,000 American flags on September 22, 2020 in Washington, D.C. represents the more than 200,000 American lives lost to COVID-19. Win McNamee / Getty Images
By Derrick Z. Jackson
Officials at the highest levels are discussing the possibility of caving in on controlling the coronavirus and instead letting it run rampant throughout the United States until we reach "herd immunity," the point where the virus effectively runs out of people to infect. More than 6,200 scientists, health professionals, and research organizations say this is inhumane and have signed a memorandum rejecting herd immunity as a legitimate strategy.
<p>Published last week in the <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2820%2932153-X" target="_blank"><em>The Lancet, </em></a>the document is named for John Snow, considered the father of modern epidemiology for mapping out the 1854 London cholera epidemic to pinpoint its source and cause, deadly water contaminated by sewage that was managed by a particular water company. The John Snow Memorandum, signed by the Union of Concerned Scientists (and individually by my wife, a physician and epidemiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health), warns that many factors render herd immunity a "dangerous fallacy unsupported by scientific evidence."</p><p>Chief among them are that the coronavirus is <a href="https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/prevention-cures/487086-coronavirus-10-times-more-lethal-than-seasonal" target="_blank">much deadlier</a> than the seasonal flu, and it remains unclear how long any immunity lasts after one recovers from an infection. That makes it likely that a herd immunity strategy, according to the memo, will surely cause a huge number of preventable deaths, run the risk of triggering recurrent epidemics, and potentially "overwhelm the ability of healthcare systems to provide acute and routine care."</p><p>The upwelling of concern behind the memorandum is the legitimacy being given in key corners of the White House to herd immunity, as represented in a new, high-profile document called The Great Barrington Declaration. It was written by three scientists with fringe views and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/covid-herd-immunity/2020/10/10/3910251c-0a60-11eb-859b-f9c27abe638d_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">concocted</a> in a gathering hosted by a libertarian think tank with ties to the climate-denying Koch Industries. The declaration's top authors were invited earlier this month to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/19/health/coronavirus-great-barrington.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">meet</a> with Scott Atlas, a member of the Coronavirus Task Force and an open advocate of herd immunity, and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar.</p><p>The declaration claims, with not a single fact or scientific study to back it up, that "current lockdown policies are producing devastating effects on short and long-term public health." Paternalistically oblivious to systemic and political reasons why Black, Latinx, and Indigenous people die from COVID-19 at higher rates than White people, the declaration says lockdowns are a "grave injustice" to the working class and school children and that keeping lockdowns in place until there is a vaccine "will cause irreparable damage, with the underprivileged disproportionately harmed."</p>
<p>Given all that so-called injustice, the authors say everyone who is "not vulnerable" should be free to move about the country and dance, sing, and play with the virus. They slyly skirt the notion that herd immunity is really about reopening the economy at all costs—which many governors did with catastrophic spikes in coronavirus cases. Instead, they say:</p><p>"Schools and universities should be open for in-person teaching;"</p><p>"Extracurricular activities, such as sports, should be resumed;"</p><p>"Young low-risk adults should work normally, rather than from home. Restaurants and other businesses should open. Arts, music, sport and other cultural activities should resume."</p>
Herd Immunity’s Unacceptable Toll
<p>Resumption of normal life in the United States under a herd immunity approach would result in an enormous death toll by all estimates. Former CDC director Tom Frieden <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/tom-frieden-herd-immunity-wrong-solution-coronavirus/2020/10/16/acb4ae8a-0fe6-11eb-8074-0e943a91bf08_story.html" target="_blank">estimates</a> that another 500,000 people would have to die to achieve 60 percent herd immunity. "And that's the best-case scenario," Frieden wrote in a <em>Washington Post</em> op-ed. "The number of deaths to get there could be twice as high."</p><p>Frieden said that is the best-case scenario because no one really knows if the <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/herd-immunity-and-coronavirus/art-20486808" target="_blank">actual percentage needed</a> to see the virus peter out is to have it <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/521834-covid-19-vaccine-barriers-efficacy-availability-and-acceptability" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">infect</a> more like <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/08/31/herd-immunity-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">65, 70,</a> or even <a href="https://www.vox.com/21451282/herd-immunity-explained-covid-19-pandemic" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">75 percent</a> of the population. Even if immunity could be miraculously achieved at 50 percent, an estimate <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41577-020-00451-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">published</a> in <em>Nature Reviews Immunology</em> places the range of sacrifice somewhere between 500,000 and 2.1 million deaths.</p><p>That makes it little wonder that Anthony Fauci, the most respected scientist advising the Trump administration on the pandemic, called herd immunity for the coronavirus "total nonsense." Fauci is backed up by the likes of National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins, who said herd immunity is a "dangerous" and "fringe" component of epidemiology. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Health <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/10/20/nation/scores-mass-scientists-doctors-sign-open-letter-against-herd-immunity-proposal/?outputType=amp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">called</a> herd immunity "junk science."</p><p>The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, <a href="https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---12-october-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said this month</a> that the only acceptable form of "herd immunity" is achieved through vaccination. "Herd immunity is achieved by protecting people from a virus, not by exposing them to it," the secretary general said. "Never in the history of public health has herd immunity been used as a strategy for responding to an outbreak, let alone a pandemic... Allowing a dangerous virus that we don't fully understand to run free is simply unethical. It's not an option."</p><p>Nowhere does the Great Barington Declaration acknowledge that <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/p0625-update-expands-covid-19.html" target="_blank">60 percent</a> of adults in the United States have at least one chronic medical condition that makes them more vulnerable for worse outcomes from COVID. That means that only 40 percent of adults would have the privilege of resuming normal breathing among work colleagues and shouting and singing in sports and worship.</p><p>Nor does the declaration acknowledge <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32009-2/fulltext" target="_blank">a study</a> in <em>The Lancet</em> that finds that less than 10 percent of people in the United States currently have the antibodies for the coronavirus. As proponents of herd immunity wax poetically about letting the virus loose among children and young adults, a grim reality is that <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid_weekly/index.htm#AgeAndSex" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">one out of every five</a> COVID deaths has occurred among people under the age of 65.</p><p>The herd immunity approach is also inherently racist, given the context of the systemic health, employment, residential, and environmental injustice inequities that make people of color more susceptible to the virus. Even though the virus is raging throughout nearly the entire nation, with cases increasing in 42 states and Guam, according to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">October 22 tracking</a> by the <em>New York Times</em>, any public health response to the virus must factor in the impact on people of color.</p><p><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">According</a> to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the COVID hospitalization rate for Latinx, Indigenous Americans, and African Americans, when adjusted for age, were all more than four times higher the hospitalization rate for white Americans, and the age-adjusted death rate for all three groups are triple the rate for white Americans, <a href="https://www.apmresearchlab.org/covid/deaths-by-race" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according</a> to the APM Research Lab. The lab says that if racial death rates were equal, nearly 22,000 Black people and about 11,400 Latinx would still be alive today.</p><p>And while proponents of rushing children back into classrooms say we can do so because young kids rarely get sick from coronavirus, nearly four out of every five children <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/09/15/covid-deaths-hispanic-black-children/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">who do die</a> are African American, Latinx, or Indigenous, according to the CDC, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6937e4.htm?s_cid=mm6937e4_w#F1_down" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">double</a> their combined share of the U.S. population.</p>
Herd Immunity Is the National De Facto Strategy
<p>Somehow, none of that has culled herd immunity from being considered as a legitimate approach for fighting COVID-19. Rather, the Great Barrington Declaration has much in common with the Trump administration's approach to the coronavirus, which has led to more people dying from COVID-19 in the United States than in any other nation on Earth.</p><p>A de facto herd immunity approach is the only thing that can explain the push by governors of so many states to <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/derrick-jackson/the-push-to-relax-covid-19-protections-exposes-age-old-racial-wounds" target="_blank">reopen</a> bars, restaurants, beaches, bowling alleys, and gyms in states even as the virus has raged and case numbers have been increasing. It is the only thing that can explain the federal designation of meatpackers as essential workers and state demands that teachers go back into classrooms despite outbreaks and deaths related to those professions.</p><p>It also explains how so many of the nation's most respected scientific voices have been silenced. Despite the virus's current "uncontrolled spread" in 34 states and Puerto Rico, according to October 21 <a href="https://www.covidexitstrategy.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tracking</a> by CovidExistStrategy.org, the White House has pushed aside Fauci, Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator Deborah Birx, Surgeon General Jerome Adams, and Robert Redfield, the head of the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control.</p><p>In their place, the administration has handed the pandemic podium to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-den-of-dissent-inside-the-white-house-task-force-as-coronavirus-surges/2020/10/19/7ff8ee6a-0a6e-11eb-859b-f9c27abe638d_story.html?utm_campaign=wp_to_your_health&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_tyh&wpmk=1&pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJjb29raWVuYW1lIjoid3BfY3J0aWQiLCJpc3MiOiJDYXJ0YSIsImNvb2tpZXZhbHVlIjoiNWE1ZDQ3N2M5YmJjMGYyNmNiMTViMmI0IiwidGFnIjoiNWY4ZGZhZmQ5ZDJmZGEwZWZiNGViMzQyIiwidXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL3BvbGl0aWNzL3RydW1wcy1kZW4tb2YtZGlzc2VudC1pbnNpZGUtdGhlLXdoaXRlLWhvdXNlLXRhc2stZm9yY2UtYXMtY29yb25hdmlydXMtc3VyZ2VzLzIwMjAvMTAvMTkvN2ZmOGVlNmEtMGE2ZS0xMWViLTg1OWItZjljMjdhYmU2MzhkX3N0b3J5Lmh0bWw_dXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXdwX3RvX3lvdXJfaGVhbHRoJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJndwaXNyYz1ubF90eWgmd3Btaz0xIn0.MyoXrwQD-PwWqdbb70_JfrI_fxHO0be_O_tpTTMXBgE" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Scott Atlas</a>, a radiologist and conservative pundit with <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/derrick-jackson/public-wants-science-based-policies-for-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">no background</a> in infectious disease science or epidemiology in measuring disease prevalence. Inhumanely ignoring the more than half of U.S. adults having a pre-existing condition that could compromise them for COVID-19, he blithely praises herd immunity, <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/derrick-jackson/public-wants-science-based-policies-for-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">saying,</a> "We can allow a lot of people to get infected. Those who are not at risk to die or have a serious hospital-requiring illness, we should be fine with letting them get infected."</p><p>He <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/521688-birx-confronted-pence-about-atlas" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pooh-poohs</a> expanded testing, saying, "you are destroying the workforce." Twitter recently took down one of Atlas's tweets for falsely claiming, "Masks work? NO" and then lying that the WHO says widespread mask use is "not supported." The first sentence of the WHO's <a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/when-and-how-to-use-masks" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">webpage</a> on masks says, "Masks are a key measure to suppress the spread of COVID-19 and save lives."</p><p>Atlas denies that the White House has a "wide-open strategy of achieving herd immunity." But there's little doubt that the White House is wide open to the idea. Last week, Atlas <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/trump-adviser-calls-nbc-town-hall-brazen-display-of-media-duplicity" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">appeared</a> on Fox News <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/white-house-touts-document-calling-for-herd-immunity-approach-to-covid-19-crisis-11603051550" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">to say</a> the thrust of the Great Barrington Declaration "is exactly aligned with the president." That was seconded by a senior administration official who <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/covid-herd-immunity/2020/10/10/3910251c-0a60-11eb-859b-f9c27abe638d_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told reporters</a> in a conference call that the Great Barrington Declaration "is endorsing what the president's policy has been for months."</p><p>The freezing out of scientists on the Coronavirus Task Force reached deep space levels this week (a metaphoric minus 455 degrees Fahrenheit), with multiple buckets of ice dumped on Fauci. Atlas diminished Fauci as "just one person" on the force, offering only a "limited approach." President Trump called Fauci a "disaster," <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-fauci-campaign-biden/2020/10/19/30b2fe58-1226-11eb-82af-864652063d61_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">claiming,</a> "People are tired of hearing Fauci and these idiots, all these idiots who got it wrong."</p>Many Thousands of Lives Can Still Be Saved
<p>Atlas's malpractice already merits his dismissal. He should be forced to step down because his disregard for science will surely lead to incalculable disaster if a herd immunity approach becomes official government policy. Calls for his ouster have already begun even from inside the task force. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-den-of-dissent-inside-the-white-house-task-force-as-coronavirus-surges/2020/10/19/7ff8ee6a-0a6e-11eb-859b-f9c27abe638d_story.html" target="_blank">According</a> to the <em>Washington Post</em>, Birx went to Vice President Mike Pence to suggest removing Atlas. All Pence reportedly did was ask Birx and Atlas to work out their problems on their own.</p><p>There is no time left for such discord within the task force and for discordant messages to come from the White House on how people should protect themselves from COVID-19. The thousands of scientists and public health professionals who signed the John Snow Memorandum say "it is critical to act decisively and urgently," to launch a "robust" response on the level of New Zealand, Vietnam, or Japan—all of which have shown success in containing the virus and keeping the numbers of cases and deaths relatively low.</p><p>The approach that has been proven effective starts with face coverings and social distancing and reducing the temptation we all will feel during the oncoming winter holidays to have extended family gatherings. Researchers from MIT and the Vancouver School of Economics <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.05.27.20115139v6.full.pdf" target="_blank">estimate</a> in a working paper that, if the United States had established a national mask mandate in mid-March, between 19,000 and 47,000 lives could have been saved by the end of May. Now that the nation's death toll approaches a quarter million lives lost, and is <a href="https://covid19.healthdata.org/united-states-of-america?view=total-deaths&tab=trend" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">projected</a> to reach nearly 400,000 by February 1, according to the Institutes for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, the institute estimates we could avoid 74,000 new deaths with universal mask use.</p><p>Importantly, masks protect others, including the most vulnerable among us. This week, the <em>Washington Post</em> reported how coronavirus outbreaks among college students partying in unmasked packs in LaCrosse, Wisconsin was found to have <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/10/21/la-crosse-wisconsin-covid-outbreak-nursing-home-deaths/?utm_campaign=wp_to_your_health&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_tyh&wpmk=1&pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJjb29raWVuYW1lIjoid3BfY3J0aWQiLCJpc3MiOiJDYXJ0YSIsImNvb2tpZXZhbHVlIjoiNWE1ZDQ3N2M5YmJjMGYyNmNiMTViMmI0IiwidGFnIjoiNWY5MWU3YjU5ZDJmZGEwZWZiNTE3OGNmIiwidXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL2hlYWx0aC8yMDIwLzEwLzIxL2xhLWNyb3NzZS13aXNjb25zaW4tY292aWQtb3V0YnJlYWstbnVyc2luZy1ob21lLWRlYXRocy8_dXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXdwX3RvX3lvdXJfaGVhbHRoJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJndwaXNyYz1ubF90eWgmd3Btaz0xIn0.6Ep-AvkJkNqGTE08UsekVlNWR01vYzQe-qg5BPruSQM" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">led to 19 deaths so far of people over the age of 60</a>. Before that, the city had gone without a single pandemic death in its nursing homes.</p><p>That is on the heels of the wedding in Millinocket, Maine that resulted in an outbreak that <a href="https://bangordailynews.com/2020/09/19/news/eight-deaths-now-tied-to-millinocket-area-wedding-outbreak-including-seven-at-nursing-home/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">killed eight elderly people</a>, none of whom attended the event, and the 500,000-person Sturgis, South Dakota motorcycle rally that is <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/10/17/sturgis-rally-spread/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">now tied</a> to the massive coronavirus outbreak in the Upper Midwest and Mountain States. The Germain IZA Institute of Labor Economics estimates that the illness generated from the rally <a href="https://www.iza.org/publications/dp/13670/the-contagion-externality-of-a-superspreading-event-the-sturgis-motorcycle-rally-and-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">will cost</a> the nation $12.2 billion in health care costs.</p><p>Atlas and the proponents of the Great Barrington Declaration have not yet said why this is just fine. That is why they must be unmasked for the charlatans that they are.</p>From Your Site Articles
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Purdue researcher Joseph Peoples uses an infrared camera to compare the cooling performance of white paint samples on a rooftop. Purdue University photo / Jared Pike
By Kayla Wiles
What if paint could cool off a building enough to not need air conditioning?
<p>Purdue University engineers have created white paint that can keep surfaces up to 18 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than their ambient surroundings – almost like a refrigerator does, but without consuming energy.</p><p>According to the researchers, the paint would replace the need for air conditioning by absorbing nearly no solar energy and sending heat away from the building. Without the building heating up, air conditioning wouldn't have to kick on.</p><p>"It's very counterintuitive for a surface in direct sunlight to be cooler than the temperature your local weather station reports for that area, but we've shown this to be possible," said <a href="https://engineering.purdue.edu/ME/People/ptProfile?resource_id=29343" target="_blank">Xiulin Ruan</a>, a Purdue professor of <a href="https://engineering.purdue.edu/ME" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical engineering</a>.</p>
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="835862ffe8b025c2f0ae633c999ecb08"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/caFzYvYAUo4?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>The paint would not only send heat away from a surface, but also away from Earth into deep space where heat travels indefinitely at the speed of light. This way, heat doesn't get trapped within the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. A video about this project is available on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caFzYvYAUo4&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">YouTube</a>.</p><p>"We're not moving heat from the surface to the atmosphere. We're just dumping it all out into the universe, which is an infinite heat sink," said Xiangyu Li, a postdoctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who worked on this project as a Ph.D. student in Ruan's lab.</p><p>Earth's surface would actually get cooler with this technology if the paint were applied to a variety of surfaces including roads, rooftops and cars all over the world, the researchers said.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDU4OTQ2My9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMDU3NDQwMn0.xNNLbN-QJDjH_tm0v2mGlBVP3w2F0UrMGiUhBtkpdQY/img.png?width=980" id="b3aaa" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3179d1bb2c45edb948b3ca392a64bb31" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
An infrared camera image shows that white radiative cooling paint developed by Purdue University researchers (left, purple) can stay cooler in direct sunlight compared with commercial white paint. Purdue University image / Joseph Peoples
<p>In a paper published Wednesday (Oct. 21) in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrp.2020.100221" target="_blank">Cell Reports Physical Science</a>, the researchers show that compared with commercial white paint, the paint that they developed can maintain a lower temperature under direct sunlight and reflect more ultraviolet rays.</p><p>Their proof is infrared camera images taken of the two paints in rooftop experiments.</p><p>"An infrared camera gives you a temperature reading just like a thermometer would to judge if someone has a fever. These readings confirmed that our paint has a lower temperature than both its surroundings and the commercial counterpart," Ruan said.</p><p>Commercial "heat rejecting paints" currently on the market reflect only 80%-90% of sunlight and cannot achieve temperatures below their surroundings. The white paint that Purdue researchers created reflects 95.5% sunlight and efficiently radiates infrared heat. </p><p>Developing this paint formulation wasn't easy. The six-year study builds on attempts going back to the 1970s to develop radiative cooling paint as a feasible alternative to traditional air conditioners.</p><p>The researchers considered over 100 different material combinations, narrowed them down to 10 and tested about 50 different formulations for each material. They landed on a formulation made of calcium carbonate, an earth-abundant compound commonly found in rocks and seashells.</p><p>This compound, used as the paint's filler, allowed the formulation to behave essentially the same as commercial white paint but with greatly enhanced cooling properties. These calcium carbonate fillers absorb almost no ultraviolet rays due to a so-called large "band gap," a result of their atomic structure. They also have a high concentration of particles that are different sizes, allowing the paint to scatter a wider range of wavelengths.</p>
<p>According to the researchers' cost estimates, this paint would be both cheaper to produce than its commercial alternative and could save about a dollar per day that would have been spent on air conditioning for a one-story house of approximately 1,076 square feet.</p><p>"Your air conditioning kicks on mainly due to sunlight heating up the roof and walls and making the inside of your house feel warmer. This paint is basically creating free air conditioning by reflecting that sunlight and offsetting those heat gains from inside your house," said Joseph Peoples, a Purdue Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering and a co-author of the work.</p><p>Cutting down on air conditioning also means using less energy produced by coal, which could lead to reduced carbon dioxide emissions, Peoples said. The researchers have further studies underway to evaluate these benefits.</p><p>The researchers are working on developing other paint colors that could have cooling benefits. The team filed an international <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=WO2020072818&tab=PCTBIBLIO" target="_blank">patent application</a> on this paint formulation through the <a href="https://www.prf.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Purdue Research Foundation</a> <a href="https://www.prf.org/otc/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Office of Technology Commercialization</a>. For further discussion on this intellectual property, please contact D.H.R. Sarma at <a href="mailto:dhrsarma@prf.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dhrsarma@prf.org</a> and reference track code 2020-ABDE-68815.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2020/Q4/this-white-paint-could-reduce-the-need-for-air-conditioning-by-keeping-surfaces-cooler-than-surroundings.html" target="_blank">Purdue University</a>.</em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
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Tropical Storm Zeta could be the fifth storm to hit Louisiana this season. National Hurricane Center
The extremely active 2020 hurricane season has another storm in store for the beleaguered Gulf Coast.
<p>Tropical Storm Zeta, the earliest 27th named storm of any hurricane season, is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane Monday, <a href="https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/zeta-likely-to-become-hurricane-before-hitting-yucatan-later-gulf-coast/2311873/" target="_blank">NBC6 South Florida reported</a>. It will likely remain at or near hurricane strength when it nears the U.S. Gulf Coast Wednesday, <a href="https://twitter.com/NHC_Atlantic/status/1320653142271291394" target="_blank">according to a 5 a.m. EDT update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC)</a>.</p><p>"It is unfortunate we face another tropical threat this late in a very active season," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said <a href="https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/zeta-likely-to-become-hurricane-before-hitting-yucatan-later-gulf-coast/2311873/" target="_blank">in a statement Sunday</a>. "We must roll up our sleeves, like we always do, and prepare for a potential impact to Louisiana."</p>
<div id="f8b4d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="07a8f5b962dcee1052414695d13a244d"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1320413961926356992" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">This storm is expected to make landfall somewhere on the Gulf Coast by midweek, meaning we have a few days to prepa… https://t.co/DNiY0VpHCI</div> — John Bel Edwards (@John Bel Edwards)<a href="https://twitter.com/LouisianaGov/statuses/1320413961926356992">1603646195.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Louisiana has been especially hard hit during the 2020 hurricane season, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/26/us/tropical-storm-zeta-louisiana/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>. Late August's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/hurricane-laura-louisiana-gulf-of-mexico-2647106305.html" target="_self">Hurricane Laura</a> was the strongest storm to strike Louisiana since 1856. It killed at least 25 people in Louisiana and Texas and forced thousands to evacuate.</p><p>More than 8,000 of these evacuees were still living in shelters when <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/hurricane-delta-laura-louisiana-2648175286.html" target="_self">Hurricane Delta</a> arrived six weeks later, flooding roads, downing power lines and killing at least four people in total.</p><p>If Zeta does make landfall in Louisiana Wednesday, it will be the fifth to do so this year and it would break the record for the most named storms to hit Louisiana in one season.</p><p>The storm could also make landfall along the Florida Panhandle, which was drenched in September by <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/hurricane-sally-flooding-2647677628.html" target="_self">Hurricane Sally</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/25/us/tropical-storm-zeta.html" target="_blank">The New York Times reported</a>.</p>
<p>"There's no question there's a lot of hurricane fatigue, but we're still going to have to prepare," NHC meteorologist and spokesman Dennis Feltgen told The New York Times.</p><p>Before it menaces the U.S., though, Zeta is forecast to move over or near the Yucatan Peninsula Monday. The government of Mexico's Quintana Roo state is preparing 71 shelters for residents and tourists, NBC6 South Florida reported. The government is still providing aid to people in the Yucatan who were impacted by Hurricane Delta and Tropical Storm Gamma.</p>
<div id="d1466" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fec06e280e1a846e21135e60632542d1"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1320653142271291394" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Here the 5 AM EDT Monday Key Messages for Tropical Storm #Zeta. Zeta is expected to become a hurricane later this… https://t.co/HJtPl4d9SJ</div> — National Hurricane Center (@National Hurricane Center)<a href="https://twitter.com/NHC_Atlantic/statuses/1320653142271291394">1603703220.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>2020 is in the running to dethrone 2005 as the most active hurricane season on record. The 2005 season had 28 named storms — 27 that were named as they occurred and one that was discovered after the fact and became an "unnamed named storm," Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach told NBC6 South Florida.</p>
<div id="a9ccc" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="eaa5510d6ed3a84110e165e17bf58275"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1320251178244952066" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">#Zeta has formed in the NW Caribbean - the 27th named storm of the 2020 Atlantic #hurricane season to date and earl… https://t.co/KImnD2m5dJ</div> — Philip Klotzbach (@Philip Klotzbach)<a href="https://twitter.com/philklotzbach/statuses/1320251178244952066">1603607384.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a> is making hurricanes <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change-hurricanes-wetter-2619851055.html" target="_self">wetter</a> and more <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tropical-storm-intensity-climate-crisis-2646033123.html" target="_self">intense</a>. Scientists <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-crisis-extreme-weather-2647096018.html" target="_self">are not sure</a> how it will impact the total number of storm systems, but the most destructive ones are likely to become more frequent. Hurricanes and tropical storms are fueled in part by warm water, and almost all of the tropical Atlantic Basin has seen higher temperatures than normal this season.</p>
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Plain Naturals offers a wide variety of CBD products including oils, creams and gummies.
Plain Naturals is making waves in the CBD space with a new product line for retail customers looking for high potency CBD products at industry-low prices.
<p><a href="https://plainnaturals.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">PlainNaturals.com</a> manufactures 95% of their products in the USA and has been offering wholesale CBD oil, CBD isolate and other hemp products to retailers since 2019 and has recently launched their own high-potency, low price product line via their website <a href="https://plainnaturals.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">PlainNaturals.com</a>. </p><p>Plain Naturals has CBD oil tinctures in 3 strengths: 1000mg, 1500mg and 5000mg, all in a 30ml or 1 fluid ounce bottle. <a href="https://plainnaturals.com/shop/ols/categories/cbd-oils" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">5000mg tinctures</a> typically sell for $225 or more per bottle. Plain Naturals offers a 5000mg tincture for just $99.99. The rest of their prices are also very low by industry standard. </p><p>They attribute this to their "no frills" approach to packaging and distributing their product. Rather than spend what many sellers do on packaging (up to $20 per bottle), Plain Naturals packages their product for less than $5 per bottle. The same philosophy is applied to their other products like <a href="https://plainnaturals.com/shop/ols/categories/cbd--hemp-creams--lotions" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">CBD Creams</a> and CBD Gummies.</p>
Is More CBD Really Better?
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDU2ODQyNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzYxMDMzN30.6B08i5QYW_Iq5bUf3qtm8oK8o6FKsRUZ74gdakgJ_TY/img.jpg?width=980" id="0ef5b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bac86abf3ce246742b18b0dc4052f4dd" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Plain Naturals offers a 5000mg CBD oil tincture in 30ml bottle for $99.99.
<p>Consumers have gotten used to paying high prices for low amounts of cannabidiol. Plain Naturals is beginning to change that. There are myriad <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5569602/%23:~:text=Chronic%2520use%2520and%2520high%2520doses,be%2520well%2520tolerated%2520by%2520humans.&text=Nonetheless%252C%2520some%2520side%2520effects%2520have,vitro%2520or%2520in%2520animal%2520studies." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">studies</a> showing that low doses of CBD (less than 50mg per day) are ineffective for many users. And many clinical <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5569602/%23:~:text=Chronic%2520use%2520and%2520high%2520doses,be%2520well%2520tolerated%2520by%2520humans.&text=Nonetheless%252C%2520some%2520side%2520effects%2520have,vitro%2520or%2520in%2520animal%2520studies." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">studies</a> have shown effective dosages of 100 - 800mg per day to be effective for many conditions ranging from <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5569602/%23:~:text=Chronic%2520use%2520and%2520high%2520doses,be%2520well%2520tolerated%2520by%2520humans.&text=Nonetheless%252C%2520some%2520side%2520effects%2520have,vitro%2520or%2520in%2520animal%2520studies." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">anxiety and depression to Parkinson's disease and cancer</a>. And several <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5569602/%23:~:text=Chronic%2520use%2520and%2520high%2520doses,be%2520well%2520tolerated%2520by%2520humans.&text=Nonetheless%252C%2520some%2520side%2520effects%2520have,vitro%2520or%2520in%2520animal%2520studies." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">studies</a> published by the National Institutes of Health have shown up to 1500mg per day to be consistently "well-tolerated" by adults. </p><p>Now it is always recommended to begin with a lower dosage and increase until an effective dose has been reached. But the advantage of starting with a higher potency CBD oil is that it is much easier to use less to start with and increase over time than to buy very low dose CBD oil and ultimately end up buying more and more stronger products. To start at 50mg per dose of a 5000mg oil, you would simply use ⅓ dropper or about 10-12 drops.</p>The Truth About CBD Product Potency
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDU2ODMyNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNDc2NTg1N30.OAm3iOTO_pKZLXi7KdJ7n0DGOFMdOmIYuG4ArGooFC4/img.jpg?width=980" id="d657c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ee016a81b29caa699b9185b64ce345d6" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />CBD gummies from Plain Naturals are 100% vegan and sugar free.
<p>Unlike most CBD brands which can be much smoke and mirrors when it comes to stating their product quality, potency and consistency, PlainNaturals.com has <a href="https://plainnaturals.com/product-information" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">lab tests</a> conducted by FDA/DEA approved laboratories and publishes their product lab test <a href="https://plainnaturals.com/product-information" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">reports</a> right on their website so customers know the quality of the product they are buying. </p><p>In a recent <a href="https://crnusa.org/sites/default/files/RAC%2520attachments/CBD/CBD%2520RTC%2520Final.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">report</a> published by the Food and Drug Administration, FDA tested 147 cbd oils and cbd products. They found that of the 102 products that indicated a specific amount of CBD, 18 products (18%) contained less than 80% of the amount of CBD indicated; 46 products (45%) contained within 20% of the amount of CBD indicated; 38 products (37%) contained more than 120% of the amount of CBD indicated and of those 147 products, the FDA also found nearly half contained levels of THC above the limit of 3.1 mg per serving (or .3%). </p><p>So there's a 70% chance that a CBD consumer is not getting what they pay for and a 50% chance that the product they are buying may not be legal.</p><p>When you buy CBD oil online from <a href="https://plainnaturals.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">PlainNaturals.com</a>, you also get an unconditional money back guarantee and the manufacturer's warranty of the product quality and potency.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDU2ODMyNy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NjM0NDE0NX0.qIzczGtfutUMoBXBaEyPrTbuBp9dlvMMEM_XYDAoMv8/img.jpg?width=980" id="33a83" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1aa7568d76a665696d24b45fa6c1f065" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
CBD and Hemp Creams offer high-benefit, low-cost options to consumers.
<p>Plain Naturals has taken the uncertainty out of the online CBD store process. By offering detailed laboratory reports on all their products and offering a money back guarantee, PlainNaturals.com online CBD store puts control back in the hands of the consumer when it comes to making their decision about where to buy CBD online.</p><p>In all 50 states and at the federal level it is 100% legal to <a href="https://plainnaturals.com/shop/ols/categories/cbd-oils" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">buy CBD oil online</a> from an online CBD store provided that the product meets the standards set forth in federal regulations, containing not more than 0.3% THC and manufactured from industrial hemp.</p><p><a href="https://plainnaturals.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">PlainNaturals.com</a> offers CBD (Cannabidiol) products like <a href="https://plainnaturals.com/shop/ols/categories/cbd-oils" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">CBD Oils</a>, <a href="https://plainnaturals.com/shop/ols/categories/cbd-gummies--edibles" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">CBD gummies and edibles</a>, <a href="https://plainnaturals.com/shop/ols/categories/cbd-isolate-powder" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">CBD isolate powder</a>, wholesale CBD, <a href="https://plainnaturals.com/shop/ols/categories/cbd--hemp-creams--lotions" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">CBD and hemp cream</a> and <a href="https://plainnaturals.com/shop/ols/categories/essential-oils--aromatherapy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">essential oils</a>. <a href="https://plainnaturals.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">PlainNaturals.com</a> continues to be a top supplier of wholesale CBD products to retailers and has also opened a retailer online portal for stores and CBD dealers to buy CBD in bulk.</p><p>EcoWatch readers can take advantage of a special offer from <a href="https://plainnaturals.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">PlainNaturals.com</a> and save an additional 25% off any purchase of $99 or more through 10/31/20 with coupon code <strong>ecowatch25</strong>.</p>
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The Trump administration has weakened fuel-efficiency requirements for the nation's cars and trucks. Drew Angerer / Getty Images
As the days tick down to next month's presidential election, debate rages over the U.S. government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic with critics of President Donald Trump calling for his ouster due to his failure to protect the American public.
<p>And yet as mass media runs daily tallies of COVID-related cases and deaths, a more sinister threat to public health looms as the Trump administration rolls back regulations that govern the quality of our air, land and water. And though these actions are garnering little public outcry now, they pose grave danger to our children and their children for decades to come. It's a simple truth — a poisoned environment means poisoned people.</p><p>In recent months the Trump administration <a href="https://news.osu.edu/a-watershed-moment-for-us-water-quality/" target="_blank">has stripped protections</a> from wetlands in ways that allow for the dumping of pesticides and other pollutants directly into millions of miles of streams and other waterways; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/16/climate/epa-mercury-coal.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">relaxed rules on power plants</a> designed to curb air emissions containing brain-damaging heavy metals <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mercury-and-health" target="_blank">such as mercury</a>; altered automobile fuel efficiency standards to be <a href="https://www.epa.gov/regulations-emissions-vehicles-and-engines/regulations-greenhouse-gas-emissions-passenger-cars-and" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">"less stringent,"</a> allowed more emissions of climate-damaging carbon dioxide; and rolled back requirements governing how coal-fired power plants <a href="https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-finalizes-power-plant-effluent-limitation-guidelines-save-money-and-reduce" target="_blank">dispose of toxic wastewater</a>, a move <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/31/climate/trump-coal-plants.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">praised by coal industry executives</a> but expected to add increased levels of lead, arsenic and other harmful contaminants to the environment. </p><p>If there was any doubt about how little Trump cares for the health of our children, that was made clear last month when the Environmental Protection Agency <a href="https://www.epa.gov/pesticides/epa-takes-next-step-review-process-insecticide-chlorpyrifos-making-draft-risk-assessments" target="_blank">(EPA) announced</a> it would continue to allow <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/08/california-pesticide-ban-chlorpyrifos-agriculture" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the neurotoxic chemical chlorpyrifos</a> to be used to grow food despite years of <a href="https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/public-health-now/news/prenatal-exposure-insecticide-chlorpyrifos-linked-alterations-brain-structure" target="_blank">scientific research</a> showing the pesticide damages babies' brain development. Residues of chlorpyrifos are commonly found in food consumed by young children. A <a href="https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/2018PDPAnnualSummary.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">USDA report</a> released last year documented chlorpyrifos residues in raisins, peaches, mangoes and asparagus, among other foods. </p>
<p>Amid the rush to ease regulations before the end of Trump's term, the EPA is also working to appoint new <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/521044-shuffle-of-epas-science-advisors-elevates-those-with-industry-tries" target="_blank">industry-friendly individuals</a> to its scientific advisory board. In an October 14 announcement, the agency said the new vice chair of the board would be Dr. Barbara Beck, who works for an industry <a href="https://gradientcorp.com/" target="_blank">consulting company</a> with a history of defending controversial chemicals and other substances. Beck has <a href="https://gradientcorp.com/alerts/pdf/Testimony_040711.pdf" target="_blank">advocated</a> for loosened restrictions on lead despite the fact that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/prevention/health-effects.htm" target="_blank">says lead exposure</a> damages a child's brain and nervous system and can cause learning and behavior problems.</p><p>"Trump is burning down the house," Tim Whitehouse, a former senior attorney with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), told me. Whitehouse now heads an organization representing thousands of government employees called Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), and says government scientists are being ignored as the administration pushes through favors for influential industries.</p><p>"I think it's beyond a difference in policy. It is a feeling that the people who are put in charge are robbing the house," Whitehouse said. "We're in a period of massive biodiversity loss and increasing chemical and toxic burdens on individuals, and the EPA is not responding to the crises at hand." </p>
<p>PEER has joined with other groups in suing the EPA over its elimination of clean water protections, charging in a <a href="https://www.peer.org/epa-political-appointees-violate-science-integrity-rules/" target="_blank">formal complaint</a> that Trump's political appointees are ignoring scientific evidence of the harms certain to be wrought by the rule changes.</p><p>To be sure, the EPA's fealty to industry is not unique to the Trump Administration. Indeed, the agency's loyalty to companies over consumers seems to be a longstanding bipartisan tradition. Trump's predecessor President Barack Obama also <a href="https://www.peer.org/epa-posts-pathetically-weak-scientific-integrity-proposal/" target="_blank">faced criticism</a> for actions – and inaction – by his EPA. </p><p>And numerous administrations are to blame for allowing the broad spread of toxic chemicals known <a href="https://theintercept.com/collections/bad-chemistry/" target="_blank">as PFAS</a> (short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) that are linked to an array of serious health problems. </p>
<p><span style="background-color: initial;">But we simply cannot afford this political bargaining with our health anymore. In taking more than 200,000 lives in less than a year, t</span>he COVID-19 virus has underscored the already fragile condition of our health. People suffering from cancer, chronic kidney disease, obesity, and other problems are at increased risk of becoming seriously ill or dying if stricken with COVID-19, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html" target="_blank">according to the CDC.</a> Scientists <span style="background-color: initial;">have <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S004896972032221X" target="_blank">rightly pointed out</a></span> that <span style="background-color: initial;">environmental pollution is a contributing factor to the vulnerability of many people to the COVID-19 virus.</span></p><p>Adding more toxins into the air we breathe and water we drink only ensures more vulnerability and more deaths. </p><p>We already are facing frightening levels of neurodevelopmental disorders, cancer and disease in our population: Autism spectrum disorder is now effecting roughly <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/ss/ss6904a1.htm?s_cid=ss6904a1_w" target="_blank">1 in every 54 children</a>, far more prevalent than 20 years ago. The rate at which children are diagnosed with cancer has <a href="https://www.cancerfreeeconomy.org/childhood_cancer_prevention/?fbclid=IwAR2GKNud8wrvPjqvkeyDy03bJsDQK2z0wDVYHwyuQDmz_WgqfLyPosIVgs8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">increased 34 percent</a> since 1975; in 2020 more than 16,800 kids are expected to be newly diagnosed. Overall, <a href="https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/statistics#:~:text=Approximately%252039.5%2525%2520of%2520men%2520and,will%2520die%2520of%2520the%2520disease." target="_blank">close to 40 percent</a> of men and women in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes. More than 600,000 people are <a href="https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/common.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dying every year</a> from cancer and more than 1.7 million are diagnosed with new cancers each year. </p>
<p>As an environmental journalist, I am astonished at the brazenness with which this administration has made clear that corporate well-being is more valuable than the health and well-being of citizens.</p><p>And as a mother, I agonize over the suffering, sickness and struggles I know lie ahead for our future generations. </p><p>Years from now, when our children tell their children about this time, when they try to explain how much was lost, how cavalierly we allowed their health to be traded for the health of corporate profits, they will be right to blame us. They will also be right to not forgive us. </p>
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Researchers have discovered a link between air pollution, food delivery and plastic waste. Sorapop / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have discovered a link between air pollution, food delivery and plastic waste.
<p>In a study published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-020-00961-1" target="_blank">Nature Human Behavior</a>, the researchers found that the more polluted air outside is, the more likely office employees are to use food delivery services. This, in turn, increases the waste produced from single-use food packaging and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/plastic-bags" target="_self">bags</a>.</p><p>"While we see more research on the impact plastic pollution is having on the natural environment, there has been less work trying to understand the human behaviour that drives plastic pollution," Alberto Salvo, one of the study's authors, said in an <a href="https://news.nus.edu.sg/research/air-pollution-drives-food-delivery-consumption-and-plastic-waste" target="_blank">NUS news release</a>. "This is where our study seeks to contribute – finding a strong causal link between air pollution and plastic waste through the demand for food delivery."</p>
<p>The study surveyed the lunch choices of 251 office workers for 11 workdays each in three Chinese cities known for having levels of smog – Beijing, Shenyang and Shijiazhuang, the release explained. They also looked at data from an online food delivery platform with over 350,000 users. By comparing both datasets with air pollution data during the lunch hour, NUS researchers found that employees were 43% more likely to order food delivery when there was a 100 μg m–3 increase in particulate matter pollution (PM2.5), <a href="https://www.ibtimes.com/how-air-pollution-can-increase-food-deliveries-plastic-waste-3065010" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">International Business Times (IBT)</a> reported. By contrast, the general public was 7.2% more likely to use food delivery services with the same increase in air pollution.</p>
<p>PM is the most common indicator for air pollution, and includes nitrates, ammonia, sulfate, mineral dust and black carbon, the news report explained. According to the <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ambient-(outdoor)-air-quality-and-health" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">World Health Organization (WHO)</a>, PM affects more people than any other pollutant, and PM2.5, or fine particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, can penetrate the lung barrier and enter the blood system. Chronic exposure to particles contributes to the development of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/air-pollution-deaths-study-2648424420.html" target="_self">cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and lung cancer</a>, the WHO said.</p><p>During the lunchtime periods surveyed by NUS researchers, PM2.5 levels were often well above the 24-hour U.S. National Ambient Air Quality Standard of 35 μg/m³, making pollution highly visible, the NUS release said.</p><p>"Faced with smog or haze outside, a typical office worker at lunchtime can avoid exposure only by ordering food to be delivered to his or her doorstep," said NUS researcher Chu Junhong in the NUS release.</p>
<p>Chu also explained in the release why air pollution seemed to have a smaller impact on food delivery in the general public than in workers, because people try to avoid the outdoors on a polluted day by using a home kitchen or eating at a cafeteria within their office building.</p><p>In a second part of the study, office workers submitted photos of their lunches, which researchers used to quantify the amount of disposable plastic in different dining choices, explained an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7M8AFvBEoE" target="_blank">NUS Business School video</a>.</p><p>Not surprisingly, researchers found that delivered meals used more plastic than meals eaten in restaurants. The average delivered meal used an average of 2.8 single-use plastic items or an estimated 54 grams of plastic, the video explained. By comparison, the average restaurant meal used an average of 6.6 grams of plastic, usually in the form of chopstick sleeves or bottles.</p>
<p>COVID-19 has <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/coronavirus-plastic-use-2645882816.html" target="_self">exacerbated the problem</a> by increasing the demand for delivered meals, which are usually packaged in plastic, the video explained.</p><p>According to the research, if all of China were exposed to a 100 μg/m³ PM2.5 increase in air pollution, the same as Beijing regularly experiences, 2.5 million more meals would be delivered daily, creating a total of five million more plastic food containers and plastic bags, reported <a href="https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/27790/20201020/air-pollution-causes-people-choose-food-delivery-services-resulting-plastic.htm" target="_blank">Science Times</a>.</p><p>NUS Researcher Liu Haoming said, "Individuals protect themselves from – and show their distaste for – air pollution by ordering food delivery which often comes in plastic packaging," in the NUS release.</p><p>IBT concluded that the study shows how people inadvertently contribute to the increasing plastic waste issues because they are trying to avoid air pollution. Liu added in the NUS release that the study makes it evident that "air pollution control can reduce plastic waste."</p><p>The findings could apply to other polluted developing nation-cities, such as Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and Vietnam, he said in the release.</p>
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One report in spring 2020 found that 38% of students at four-year universities were food-insecure. Frederic J. Brown / AFP / Getty Images
By Matthew J. Landry and Heather Eicher-Miller
When university presidents were surveyed in spring of 2020 about what they felt were the most pressing concerns of COVID-19, college students going hungry didn't rank very high.
<p>Just <a href="https://www.acenet.edu/Research-Insights/Pages/Senior-Leaders/College-and-University-Presidents-Respond-to-COVID-19-April-2020.aspx" target="_blank">14% of the presidents</a> listed food or housing insecurity among their top five concerns.</p><p>Granted, these academic leaders had plenty of other things to worry about. Some 86% said they were worried about fall enrollment – a concern that has shown itself to be a legitimate one, especially in light of the fact that low-income students have been dropping out of college at what one headline described as "<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/09/16/college-enrollment-down/" target="_blank">alarming rates</a>."</p><p>As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=AfhawtoAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">researchers who specialize</a> in the study of <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=2ujk8c8AAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">food insecurity</a>, we see the dropout rate as being related to a host of underlying issues. And not having enough to eat is one of them.</p><p>Data support this view. The signs of this growing problem - known as <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/definitions-of-food-security/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">food insecurity</a> – began to emerge when the COVID-19 epidemic was beginning to take its toll.</p><p><a href="https://hope4college.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Hopecenter_RealCollegeDuringthePandemic.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">One spring 2020 report</a> found that 38% of students at four-year universities were food-insecure in the previous 30 days. That was up 5 percentage points from <a href="https://hope4college.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">33% in the fall of 2019</a>.</p><p>College students, clearly, warrant special attention as a group. These rates of food insecurity are more than three times the rate of that in all U.S. households, which was <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=99281" target="_blank">estimated to be 10.5%</a> in 2019.</p><p>Historically, estimates of food insecurity among college students have ranged from 10% to 75%, according to 50 studies from U.S. academic institutions carried out from 2009 to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmz111" target="_blank">before the COVID-19 pandemic</a>.</p>
Why It Matters
<p>This is not just a matter of growling stomachs. This is a straight-up education and health issue.</p><p>When students don't really know if they'll be able to get enough to eat, it can lead to a series of problems that make it harder to stay in school. For instance, it can affect <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1359105318783028" target="_blank">academic performance</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-6943-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sleep quality</a>. It can also lead to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105318783028" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">poor mental and physical health</a> outcomes for college students.</p><p>Food insecurity can also result in disrupted eating patterns if there is <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6627945/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">not enough food or the variety</a> or <a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-019-6943-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">quality of what someone eats</a> is low.</p>Campus Food Pantries
<p>Previous strategies by <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/696254.pdf" target="_blank">colleges and universities</a> to fight hunger in their student bodies have varied widely. They include campus food pantries, emergency cash assistance and nutrition education through noncredit classes or workshopse.</p><p>These strategies were put to the test during the spring 2020 semester, when nearly <a href="https://hope4college.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Hopecenter_RealCollegeDuringthePandemic.pdf" target="_blank">three in five students</a> said they had trouble meeting their own basic needs during the pandemic.</p><p>College food pantries saw <a href="https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2020/05/01-utrgv-student-food-pantry-seeing-recent-increase-in-demand-during-covid-19.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">big increases</a> in demand. Others said they <a href="https://www.theprospectordaily.com/2020/09/22/uteps-food-pantry-is-running-out-of-food/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">were getting less donated food</a>. This made it even harder to meet the rising food needs of students.</p><p>Campus food pantries largely rely on local or regional food banks, which have been dealing with <a href="https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/2020/10/04/indiana-food-banks-call-more-food-stamps-meet-publics-need/3523683001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">greater demand</a> than they are able to meet during the pandemic.</p><p>The many students who are attending college remotely will, of course, have less access to campus resources like food pantries.</p>Federal Help
<p>Other potential ways to get more food are government programs like the <a href="https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/recipient/eligibility" target="_blank">Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program</a>, known as SNAP. Yet the majority of able-bodied students are not eligible. Long-standing restrictions, like the <a href="https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/students" target="_blank">college SNAP rule</a>, prevent full-time students from receiving these benefits.</p><p>Such regulatory hurdles were created under the assumption that most students can rely on their parents to get enough to eat. However, college students have vastly different levels of financial support. Some students can rely on their parents for everything and others cannot rely on their parents for anything.</p><p>Decreased reliance on parental financial support is <a href="https://ir.library.louisville.edu/jsfa/vol47/iss3/5/" target="_blank">especially common</a> for first-generation students and students of color, who now make up <a href="https://1xfsu31b52d33idlp13twtos-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Race-and-Ethnicity-in-Higher-Education.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">45% of enrolled college students</a>.</p><p>Under normal circumstances, many college students might rely on part-time jobs to pay for their food.</p><p>Two-thirds of the students who were employed before the pandemic said that job insecurity was a problem for them, according to the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice <a href="https://hope4college.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/HOPE_realcollege_National_report_digital.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">#RealCollege survey</a>. As the number of <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/youth.nr0.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">jobless young Americans</a> remains elevated, unemployment and underemployment remain a problem.</p><p>Jobless students face a potential double threat of less money for food and unemployment benefits cutting off their access to SNAP because the program <a href="https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/students" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">requires most students to work</a> at least part time.</p><p>Attempts have been made at both the federal and state levels to meet the basic food needs of college students. Lawmakers have focused on temporarily suspending eligibility requirements or expanding the criteria for participating in nutrition assistance programs.</p><p><a href="https://www.jneb.org/article/S1499-4046(20)30511-X/fulltext#seccesectitle0005" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Seventeen bills</a> aiming to address food insecurity among college students were introduced to Congress during the 2019-2020 legislative session. However, these proposals failed to gain momentum, and the four COVID-19 stimulus bills to date have not addressed the hunger needs of college students. Notably, some students were ineligible to personally receive a <a href="https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus-tax-relief-and-economic-impact-payments" target="_blank">CARES Act stimulus relief payment</a> because they were claimed as dependents by their parents.</p>
Short-Term Solutions
<p>Universities and colleges can make it a priority to ensure students are aware of all available campus resources and services. They can also potentially help students apply for federal assistance benefits.</p><p>Campus food pantries are not a fully effective and efficacious solution for the scale of college food insecurity, but they can be a good interim solution to increase access to food for students.</p><p>Campuses without food pantries can start one, making use of resources the <a href="https://cufba.org/resources/" target="_blank">College and University Food Bank Alliance</a> provides. Schools with food pantries can try to get them to <a href="https://www.swipehunger.org/5campuspantry/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reach more students</a>.</p><p>Universities and colleges can also lean on one another for support. The <a href="http://wp.auburn.edu/endchildhungeral/alabama-campus-coalition-for-basic-needs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Alabama Campus Coalition for Basic Needs</a> is a great example of this. It brings together 10 universities across the state of Alabama collectively working to address student food insecurity.</p>From Your Site Articles
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