#Priorities! Next month no food challenge

[pleasedontcareaboutme]

The urge to spend a 100$ on merch before getting my paycheck is so strong. I might not survive soldiers

[legy]

hi! i'm caelum. you might know me from @goldentruths-pod or from posting online. im in a financial quicksand pit and i really, really, really need help.

i'm disabled and receive approx ~$950 a month from social security. this has gone from "rough but survivable" when i first started receiving SSI to "i am literally not making ends meet" in 2024. right now my current status is that i am covering my basic needs but any kind of extra purchases are impossible. and the extra purchases i need to make keep piling up because i just can't afford them. some things i need include, in vague level of priority:

dolphin, my cat, is years overdue for a vet visit. this is going to be $300 minimum, possibly more because she has an adversarial relationship with the vet. she needs dental work done which they had quoted me as being $1500 but ive been putting it off for so long that i would not be surprised if that's more expensive too

i have learned today that my gold crown needs to be replaced. really unhappy about this one. it was a miserable experience the first time (everything that went wrong did go wrong, i'll spare you the details) but what is relevant here is that my insurance does not cover this and it was $900 last time. insurance also does not cover extracting the tooth either so that's cool. i have some time before this one is due (my next consult is in july)

my phone is approaching "unusably broken". i've had it for close to 4 years now. the call speaker no longer works (i can only use the phone on speaker mode) and it struggles to run apps or a web browser which makes things like GPS pretty dire. this would be like ~$100-$150 probably, i havent done serious phone shopping yet

my driver's license is expired and i need to get a new one. this was $110 last time. note i havent driven a car in years due to the disability but it's really valuable to have a universally recognized form of photo ID and ive already been hassled over it being expired

god this one is so embarrassing to get into but i had to flee my previous apartment last year due to it escalating into a DV situation. the other tenants did not pay the heating bill, which was in my name (and my dumb ass didnt close the account because it was the middle of february and i didnt want to freeze them to death) so i have a $250 utility bill in collections. i might be able to dispute or debt forgiveness this one but tbh ive been so fucking drained given everything else going on and also my phone barely works so i havent pursued it. especially since i can't afford to pay it if i cant challenge it

i would really like to have a passport again. my previous one was destroyed by my landlord in 2018 but even if it wasnt it'd also be expired now. not sure how much this one costs. likely $200?

my food stamps were slashed in half (covid emergency ending lol) and do not cover my food costs for the month so im paying like $150 a month on food that i didnt have to previously. i can maybe fix this one but im slowly losing my mind from malnutrition from trying to not go into debt and also eat. so i havent had it in me to go 1v1 welfare bureaucracy and possibly make everything even worse

my shoes are probably two months out from fully decomposing. they were $100 three years ago and id like to get something comparable given they lasted me this long

the rest of my clothes are also very literally becoming threadbare, falling apart, or are too big and keep slipping off. i legitimately feel embarrassed to go in public these days because i dress so shitty all the time

insurance doesnt cover my HRT anymore so that's $30 a month i didnt used to have to pay

im sorry this turned into such a ramble. i'm in such a bad way right now, i have been for quite a while and the dental work news is really just the final straw. i can't really have a fundraising goal because due to the SSI asset limit i can never own more than $2000. & i'm aware both that this is the poor people sending each other the same 20 dollars website and that there are people urgently trying to raise money to escape an active genocide. but i held off from making this post as long as possible & idk what else i can do

anyway if theres anything you can contribute to help me i would appreciate it more than anything. at the very least i need to do something about my tooth.

http://paypal.me/hivehum

[oldhalloweentape]

🪨Venture (OW II) x (gn) reader ⛏️

(Eating Disorder Reader Edition)

(Warning!: Angst [with comfort], mention of vomit, self-hate)

(Picture’s not mine!)

(Request here! Hey… Uh— Sorry this took longer than predicted, for a wide variety of reasons, including planning a way on how to tackle such a topic like this— I want this to be respectful and good. So I hope I captured that.)

- A rather tough and taboo subject but not an uncommon one people experience for a myriad of reasons, something that Sloane hasn’t personally experienced, however, they do know what it’s like to be uncomfortable in their skin.

- While they may not relate directly to your experience they are still a strong and reliable beam of support that you can lean on.

- Their empathy alone is a constant and yet they still go above and beyond for you, and keeps you in mind as they make the effort to help.

- They know that the people you hold close are an important part of your being able to recover healthily and they are so proud of you for having the willpower and effort to fall out of this.

- Helps with making sure you eat healthy and in proper quantities, and if it ever came to it they’d try to learn to cook in a heartbeat.

- A cooking class as a possible date could be really cute, a bit disastrous as they run around with a bowl of fire yelling crap like “I GOT THIS ALL UNDER CONTROL MI VIDA!”

- They don’t in fact have this all under control, still cute though.

- Sweet and genuine with you when they tell you that they want to learn about your certain condition and be there for you through thick and thin.

- That sentiment is never challenged, even in your toughest moments (ex: vomiting, hiding away food, abdominal pain, limiting food range, self-loathing, etc.)

- Always make sure you know that in these moments, you aren’t to blame and that you are learning to be someone you can love as they love you.

- If anyone tries to criticize you or plant themselves forcefully into your journey, believe me, the uppercut they give that person if they don’t heed Sloane’s warning to knock it off will be legendary.

- Constantly have to remind themselves that they won’t always have the answers or solutions to help mediate certain situations that arise.

- But they definitely get credit for how they help, the balance between healthy eating and exercise is always equal for both you and them.

- Makes their feelings about being incredibly proud and in love with you apparent, that no matter the circumstances they love to help you up and keep you close.

- Going back to cooking they always make sure to change things up so you don’t get sick of it, and it helps them widen their excitement for cooking.

- The kitchen ends up a mess 9 times out of 10… Helping them would be deeply appreciated and get you forehead kisses.

- In general, they’re very on top of your schedule, treatment, etc— If it helps you they’ll know everything about it.

- If you ever need it they’re going to remind you of certain things, like if you have medication that needs to be taken with food or you need to take a nap after a particularly rough day.

- Your health and safety to top priority and they make it well known with how they hold you close and kiss you affectionately on the lips if you’re feeling a bit more discouraged than usual.

- Sloane can’t get enough of you and it shows, and they hope that they can give you at least half of what they feel for you.

(Edit: HSJWJWKWK Almost forgot to put this in, um— As some of you guys have already realized the song is the opening song for My Babysitter’s a Vampire! It’s such a great song, found the whole thing months ago and to say I was elated was an understatement lol)

[oncelostbut-found]

Life as an International Student at the University of Pécs: Perspective of a 22-year old Filipino

It has been more than a year since I have been given the opportunity to move about 9,900 km away from my hometown in the Philippines to pursue my studies in Hungary, and everything still feels surreal.

Starting a new chapter of life in a different country, with an entirely different culture, environment, and language is challenging – there’s no question about that. I have found myself struggling and mostly overwhelmed during the first two months in Pécs, especially, unlike other nationalities, the Filipino community here, is not big. Therefore, I did not have much people to ask for guidance and help on what to do and where to go; I had to mostly figure out to get by on my own – which molded me into who I am in the present.

Life as an international student, contrary to what we see on films, such as a student travelling to many places, always having the time of his life, is not always fun-and-rainbows, for there is so much more to it. One day, I would wake up with an excited feeling of going to the university, discovering new places, doing new things, and interacting with people, but the next day, I wake up feeling like I need to wrap myself up in a blanket to feel the warmth of home again – there’s no in-between. The truth is, no matter how much you think you have prepared for in this journey, things may or may not go as what you have expected.

Despite the fear-that-never-goes-away of living alone in a foreign country, I would never change anything. In fact, I am grateful that I took this leap of faith.

In the past year, the most important thing that I have learned is that respect is the key to survival. In a multiculturally-diverse community, you have to be open and understanding of the differences, in culture, religion, beliefs, or languages, that you might have with other people–what is acceptable for one may not be to the other; what one may think is weird, may just be a common thing for the other. It must be emphasized that the application of the golden rule of treating others how you would want to be treated, is very important in this setting.

In terms of my personal life, I have seen how much I have grown over a year: from handling my own finances that go to my needs and wants, and managing my time wisely in-and-out of the university. I have learned to not burn myself over pressure – by having time for university, for society, and for myself. There are days when my mind is occupied with the things I have to accomplish, or I am simply just low on energy. At times, back-to-back homework, or piled-up examinations, can be exhausting, which is completely normal. Therefore, it should be known that taking small breaks can bring back focus making us more productive in the long run. It is never prohibited to take breaks or have fun – it’s just at the end of the day, we must know what our priorities are.

I have learned to overcome my fear of engaging with the locals, by learning and practicing the basics of the Hungarian language, despite the possibility of making mistakes. Hungarians, themselves, know how complicated the language could be, so they appreciate it if you try – a simple, „Jó napot kívánók!” can go a long way. There's this satisfaction when you see them smile because they understood what you're saying, and because they know that you are trying. I had this experience of coming across an old woman during a hike and she spoke to me in Hungarian, asking how old I am and where I am from. It took some time to understand each other, but in the end, we connected, and that made me happy. From time-to-time, I come across her, and she never fails to greet me and ask me how I am doing. Slowly, I have learned to embrace the new surrounding I am in. Stepping out of my comfort zones may made me feel like a fish out of water at first, but I turned this challenging feeling into an opportunity to discover new places, traditions, food, and people.

My personal and professional network have also expanded more by having more engagement with people that share the same vision as I do. These people helped me realize that I am not the only one who could be struggling, and I should not be afraid to ask for help. These people became my emotional and mental support. Moreover, opportunities to enhance my technical skills have been presented to me by the university. In fact, I was able to participate on two training programs conducted in Italy and Poland, which were both funded, and most importantly, had let me expand my existing knowledge and skills by collaborating with experts in my field of study.

I would by lying if I say that being an international student is not difficult – there will be constant ups-and-downs. It all depends on you – on how you find the joy in the smallest of things. One thing is for sure, if you find the right company, and motivation for your goals, it gets better, slowly but surely.

Here’s a little reminder: If you feel like giving up, don’t. Instead, remind yourself why you started this journey in the first place – what and who are you I doing it for. All hard work bears fruit in the end.

[mariacallous]

The United States made food security a top priority when it chaired the U.N. Security Council last month—and rightly so. Earth just experienced its hottest month in 120,000 years. Heat waves, droughts, and floods are killing off crops by the field full. Places such as Ethiopia, Afghanistan, and Haiti are gripped by worsening famine. In a blow to global food security, Russia recently backed out of the Black Sea grain deal that allowed Ukraine to export millions of tons every month. The geopolitics of nature have ushered in an era of unprecedented instability, and the worst is yet to come, with this year’s El Niño season predicted to persist through 2024.

To solve our mounting global food crisis, world leaders must look not only to the land, but to the waters as well—and to the often-forgotten and underappreciated source of vital nutrition known as blue foods.

The term “blue foods” is shorthand for food that comes from marine and freshwater ecosystems—from tunas, pollock, and cod to shrimp and seaweeds. Political attention and funding of blue food initiatives remain significantly underrepresented in national and global food discussions, despite the immense contribution that blue foods make to the health of people and economies around the world.

Blue foods support the livelihoods of more than 800 million people and remain among the most traded global commodities. Nearly half of humanity depends on the food group as a significant source of animal protein, vital micronutrients, and cultural identity.

Though producing some blue foods may have an inherently lower environmental footprint relative to cattle and other land-based livestock, there is not an endless supply. In our oceans alone, roughly 92 percent of our wild-caught fish comes from stocks that can’t handle additional fishing pressure or have already been overfished. The picture isn’t better for migratory freshwater fish, which have declined on average by 76 percent since 1970. With the demand for blue foods projected to nearly double by 2050, the math simply doesn’t add up to a stable future. Aquaculture, the farming of aquatic species, is an important part of the solution, but it can’t backfill the collapse of ocean fish populations or insulate the global economy from its consequences.

While resource conflicts are commonly thought of as a land-based challenge—for example, disputes over oil, minerals, or forestry—conflict over marine natural resources has always existed.

One study found that during the Cold War, 25 percent of military conflicts between democracies were over fisheries—and they have only been increasing ever since. Since the 1990s, more than 150 international fishery conflicts involving militaries have occurred, and five countries have been involved in 40 percent of them, with China and Russia leading the chart.

In China, the world’s largest fishing power, whose population consumes almost twice the global average of seafood per capita, the fisheries economy generates nearly $200 billion annually and employs millions of people. As such, fish are a strategic and critical resource for Beijing, and China has increasingly used legislative, economic, and military means to access and control the global supplies of seafood over the past 35 years. In the Horn of Africa, the past three decades have been rocked by more than 600 conflicts that have disrupted livelihoods, killed hundreds of people, and contributed to rampant piracy that has threatened maritime security.

Climate change will exacerbate all these trends. Warming waters are impacting fish reproduction and forcing species to migrate at unprecedented levels, creating newly fish-rich and fish-poor places. In the next seven years alone, 23 percent of fish stocks connected to territorial waters will move—including in waters near Canada, Britain, Norway, Iceland, and Japan. There will be winners and losers because of these shifts, spurring heightened competition for scarce resources that will intensify conflict between communities and countries.

When fish become harder to find, so too will peace and security. Small-scale fishery conflicts destabilize coastal communities, contributing to environments that foster greater crime, food insecurity, and poverty. Internationally, the risk of escalation from small, relatively innocuous conflicts on our oceans is growing, particularly in regions already grappling with maritime conflicts over borders and resources. Labor and human rights abuses are also pervasive in blue food value chains—half of all blue foods come from countries that the U.S. government has identified as having high risk of human trafficking.

We still have time to prevent the escalation of conflict and human rights violations, particularly when conservation and natural resource management offer the opportunity for cooperative engagement and protection of blue food resources.

First, climate science, oceans science, and political science can pinpoint where the greatest conflict pressures will emerge in the future—five to 10 to 30 years out. With access to this high-quality data, governments can deliver a new era of refined early warning systems and maritime security and conservation planning. This kind of information also makes it easier to prioritize and safeguard areas where crucial habitats, such as spawning and nursing grounds, contribute to a sustainable blue food supply.

To effectively manage and protect these areas, we must design inclusive conservation strategies that prioritize the needs and voices of coastal Indigenous peoples and local communities that are often on the front line of the climate crisis. These communities are the most vulnerable to changes in the environment and are highly dependent on seafood, with 15 times higher consumption per capita than non-Indigenous communities, on average. And case studies have shown that an inclusive approach can be beneficial to all. In Indonesia, for example, community involvement and equitable governance led to more fish in protected areas than in nonprotected areas.

Second, we need to improve local and global fishing practices through science-based fishery management that proactively plans for the impacts of climate change by strengthening oversight to bring about more sustainable and responsible fisheries. Fisheries that regulate the amount and location of fishing efforts depending on the present or projected health of fish stocks will be better placed to handle future threats. These practices must extend to small-scale fisheries, which contribute about 32 percent of overall global seafood nutrient supply.

Third, aquaculture of noncarnivorous species should be scaled up to supplement the increased demand on fisheries, as wild-caught fish are a finite resource. Currently, developing countries supply nearly all of aquaculture, making it a critical source of food and income for them. But because they are strapped for resources, environmental protection and regulation is often a lower priority. Thus, policies that support effective zoning and permitting in lakes, rivers, and coastal regions need to be reformed to ensure that production does not exceed the carrying capacity of these natural habitats.

Fourth, seafood businesses around the world have a critical role to play. Companies that sell imported blue foods—which constitute more than 80 percent of the seafood sold in America—need to be responsible for sourcing blue foods that are produced more sustainably and ethically. With their market leverage, seafood companies have the opportunity and responsibility to encourage better management of their source fisheries and aquaculture farms. This is especially critical for smaller island nations such as Kiribati and Tokelau, whose economies are both heavily dependent on seafood exports and are on course to lose fish stocks due to climate change.

Fifth, existing frameworks and agreements, including the U.N.’s Agreement on Port State Measures, which was the first binding international agreement to specifically target illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, must be strengthened and modernized to address the shifting environmental realities facing blue foods. Additionally, the world’s major fishing powers, including the United States and China, should support sustainable fisheries in the global south by eliminating harmful subsidies; last year, they took a step in the right direction with the adoption of the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.

Continued multilateral cooperation and support for area-based management—the effort toward protecting, conserving, and restoring ecosystems—has the potential to advance solutions as well. A strong example is the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor, a regional initiative led by Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama, that aims to create an uninterrupted, sustainably managed biological corridor across more than 500,000 square kilometers (193,000 square miles).

Finally, we must catalyze robust partnerships across all sectors of society. Under U.S. President Joe Biden, the White House has convened private sector leaders around emerging challenges in strategic sectors, including semiconductors and artificial intelligence. The administration could similarly help rally U.S. and global seafood executives to source and supply the world with blue foods in a way that doesn’t squander the very resource that underwrites their business.

Blue foods aren’t a silver bullet—they’re a strategic commodity. When the bounty is plentiful, it can sustain hundreds of millions of livelihoods and billions of lives; when blue foods become scarce, it can drag communities, nations, and entire regions into violent conflict. The actions that the global community takes in the coming months and years will determine which path we take.

[whentherewerebicycles]

okay hello! instead of doing all my 2023 priority-setting in one long post, I’m going to divide it up into separate posts to encourage myself to really think through the concrete things I want to prioritize or achieve this year (and the specific habits I’ll need to build to make that happen).

Priority 1: Become a More Competent & Confident Cook

This year, I want to…

(1) Master the basic principles of cooking. I’d like to be able to confidently and consistently prepare delicious foods using a range of methods (roasting, sauteing, braising, simmering, etc.). I’d also like to be able to more confidently taste and adjust elements as I cook.

(2) Consistently eat balanced, plant-based, mostly vegan meals. I want to focus on eating a wide variety of healthful foods and on adapting meals wherever possible to incorporate more vegetables. Some more specific sub-goals:

I want to prepare 25 new recipes with a focus on recipes from around the world.

I want to try the following vegetables (all of which are either new to me or veggies I’m suspicious of): leeks, fennel, swiss chard, one new type of beans, radish, rhubarb, okra, eggplant, endive.

I want to taste, smell, and research the uses of one new spice in my cabinet per week, adding these notes to my cooking project doc and eventually to my recipe book. (I don’t really have a good sense right now of what different spices taste like or how they influence the flavor of a dish and I’d like to change that!)

(3) Create a photo-illustrated recipe book with at least 25 of my favorite easy-to-prep recipes.

How will I achieve these goals?

Becoming a more confident cook:

First, I’ll read Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat over the month of January. Instead of taking notes, I want to create a list of techniques or things I’d like to try or think about as I cook. My cooking skills are super basic so even super basic techniques will be helpful lol.

I don’t want to try to implement all the new strategies at once or I’ll get overwhelmed. So instead I’ll choose one technique to practice in my cooking each week. The learning cycle might look like this:

Start of the week: Look at the recipes I want to make that week, make my grocery list, and pick a new technique to practice from the list. (I can choose recipes that use that technique or choose a technique based on the recipes I’m planning to make.) Write the new technique + rewrite the older techniques on a dry erase board next to the stove so I’m reminded of them every time I walk into the kitchen. (I can habit-stack this with other household tasks I perform regularly, like cleaning out the fridge and placing a grocery order, as well as with other goal tasks, like spice tasting.)

During the week: Practice the technique(s) while cooking. If I’m struggling with something, watch YouTube videos, do research, or ask a friend till I feel confident I’m doing it correctly. Consider jotting down notes on how the food turned out.

End of week: Evaluate how confident I feel in my ability to perform the technique. In the list document, write down any questions or concerns I have (or any tips for doing it well). Remember that I’ll practice that technique twice more, since the two previous weeks roll over into the next week.

Eating balanced meals & trying new things:

Make it a game! Get excited about the process! Some strategies:

When I’m procrastinating on other things, do food or spice research. Search for different recipes by country or in-season veggie and look at lots of different pictures of the food.

Keep a running wishlist of recipes that look delicious or would be interestingly novel to try. Color-code or tag recipes that use specific techniques I want to practice, spices I want to try, or vegetables I want to learn to enjoy.

Challenge myself to modify recipes when possible, whether by making interesting or healthier substitutions or sneaking in more veggies.

Creating the recipe book:

Take photos of every meal I prepare (and the prep steps too if they’re pretty!) so I can print them later at Walgreens. To keep myself motivated maybe I’ll do a batch print every month or something and display the pictures in the kitchen lol.

Write up recipes for Tumblr at least semi-consistently so I have a record of simplified steps or substitutions I made.

Continue brainstorming & provisionally sorting recipes into categories with Liz. Right now we’ve been experimenting with sorting them by ease of preparation (on a spectrum of fast, simple, low-mess to messier or more complicated with a special section for meals that can be made ahead and/or frozen in bulk). But hmm I wonder if other possible sorting methods will emerge as I amass more recipes. I might also just make a veggie/main ingredient index for the binder where I can look up the vegetable I have in the fridge or picked up at the store and see all the recipes that use that vegetable. We also talked about designing other fun little pages that could help solidify our learning while also serving as future teaching tools with a kid… like charts of average roast/sautée times for different veggies… although I wonder if the goal will eventually be to not have to use timers so much because I’ll have a better sense of what something looks like when it’s done. But yeah these can all be open questions!!

Why is this goal important to me?

Preparing good, healthy food is a way of taking care of myself. When I am under stress or feeling bleh about my life or my body or whatever, I tend to lean more heavily on takeout, processed foods, or intermittent grazing. I have the time to cook thanks to my stupid flexible job, so I want to be sure that I’m using that time well and taking good care of myself even when I feel kinda bleh about certain aspects of my life.

I want to use this window of time to really learn and solidify skills I’ve been picking up piecemeal over the past six-ish years since I started trying to learn how to make food for myself. I also just like the idea of approaching cooking as a learning challenge! In the past I’ve tended to kinda lazily assume that people were either good cooks or they weren’t and it wasn’t worth worrying about it if you were a mediocre cook who could at least prepare a few mediocre things. But I think it’s nice to actually WANT to get better! And I think (surprise, surprise) I’ll really enjoy the process of setting concrete goals, designing learning tasks for myself, and assessing my progress over the course of the year. Plus maybe this will encourage me to invite friends over more often so I can make them try stuff :)

If I have or adopt or foster kids, I want to be able to teach them the basics of cooking good, delicious, healthy food from a very young age. I also want to nurture their curiosity about food and willingness to experiment in the kitchen. I honestly don’t know that my parenting style will differ that much from my own parents’ style, but I do think there are a few core things I want to tweak… and one of the biggest changes is I want to expose my kids to a wide variety of foods early and help them learn how to confidently prepare food that tastes good.

[jammytriestowrite]

A Look Back on my 2022:

If I were to describe 2022 in one word, it would be Calm. This is the year where I learned how to calm down and not be pressured by anything else. Calm down on pursuing the goals, achieving growth and progress. Calm down on my own journey and not compare it with others. I became self-aware and self-reliant on my own happiness this year. I still have my bad days but I accept them now calmly because they're supposed to be there. To be more alive, I guess? Overall, I wouldn't say 2022 is great or awesome or worse. But I just think that is what a year is supposed to be, Calm.

As a look back on 2022, here are my year-end reflection lists:

Habits I shall (or any obligatory word) quit by next year:

Not replying back to friends

Not waking up on time (6:30am will be my new alarm set as a punishment) and oversleeping

Binging too much TV

Saying NO to friends/family

Impulsive buying

Being hot-headed when it comes to certain situations (IDK how to explain this but some people keep testing my patience)

Not asking for HELP

Not asking questions

Doomscrolling. Consuming too much social media.

I will continue, Oh my God, to do all these actions, for the love of me:

READ. Just read more books, articles, essays, etc. Educate yourself.

Spend quality time with family (treat them once in a while)

Same with friends (meet old friends)

Walk. Jog. Exercise. Beat that Move goal challenges.

Dentist appointments twice a year

WRITE! Write your thoughts, your feelings, your frustrations, what you love, etc. Just write to unload those emotions and heal on your own.

Watch documentaries.

Cook and prepare your food.

Embroidery! Finish once your start a piece.

Make art. Draw, sketch, paint, watercolor, make a video, and write a poem. Explore your artistry.

Clean your room once a month.

Be there for people but have boundaries.

Travel and visit new places.

Be curious.

Things I'm grateful for:

Family - I get to spend more time with them this year. Even though we're a family who doesn't talk about personal stuff, I think just being in their presence means so much to me.

Friends - 2022 is the year of meeting with a lot of my close friends. and meeting new ones. My relationship with them is low maintenance where we don't need to chat constantly but hanging out with them once in a while just puts me in a happy state.

Sidelines - I'm so thankful for the clients who trusted me this year. Not to mention, they're the reason I was able to save money. I hope this will continue and grow in the coming year. I'm ready for more side projects.

Travel - This year is my most traveled year so far. I went to Tagaytay, Boracay, Baguio, Bulacan, Laguna, and Pampanga. I went Hiking in Rizal (with complete strangers). And finally visited the National Museum of Natural History with friends. I'm excited about the places I will visit come 2023, I wish I can finally travel abroad which is not work-related, Thailand or Taiwan is my top priority to visit with my budget.

Experiences - Of course, 2022 is memorable for the experiences it brought me. I went to a concert of All Time Low which is one of my favorite bands growing up. It was a very surreal experience. I finally watched a musical last November, it's called We Will Rock You, and a homage to Queen songs, which are some of the best songs for me. More musical experiences for next year, please! Lastly, when I went to Leni-Kiko Rally. It was my proudest moment as a Filipino to be there. I was just merely attending their rally, but it made me hopeful for the country. Makes me think of what could've been if she won the presidency. I know PH is going downhill now, but I hope for a better 2023 for us.

Love/Dating - This has been so idle this year. But still grateful for the learnings it gave me. I only dated one person and it didn't go well because *insert anti-hero by Taylor Swift*. I realized dating requires too much effort and I feel like I want to accomplish more before being in a commitment with another person. But I still want it. I crave it. It's just that I'm not willing to work for it. So that's what I will be doing in 2023. Work for the love I deserve.

That ends my 2022. It wasn't as grand as the others but for me, It's the best year. I really liked it. No, I loved it. Thank you, 2022. Now, I'm looking forward to new experiences, explorations, and self-discoveries. I already know 2023 will be just as calm as this year. Happy new year, everyone! Let's fucking gooooo!

[halleymacleod666]

So update on how it's been going cause I have posted updates on tumblr in a while.

So after I reached my lowest weight in the summer, after summer was over I managed to gain like 10kgs in a few months. I started binging and I couldn't stop, like I've been starving and then binging for years now but it always changes, like I'll starve for a week and that will make me binge and so on... and I've been stuck in that cycle for 5 years. I never had a long period of starving (few weeks usually) and I have never had a long period of binging either (usually about a week at most) but after summer I just started craving junk food so so so bad and I couldn't stop myself from eating it, gained 5kg in a month and another 5 the next month. For the first time in 5 years I gave up on starving completely, like I just ate what I wanted when I wanted and there weren't many healthy choices, I didn't make myself throw up or burn any of the calories off and I didn't tell myself I'll starve tomorrow to make up for it, I just didn't care, I was depressed as fuck, I was sick of trying and I just kept on eating. And then I had reached my highest weight ever, my highest weight used to be 77kg, now it was 78kg. I was at such a low point, I am pretty tall so that was like normal weight per BMI although it might have been slightly overweight.

Anyway, recently (8 days ago) I decided it's time for a change, like I can't live like that anymore, almost none of my jeans fit and I feel absolutely disgusting in my skin, my belly has always been flat but it got so bloated and it even collected a layer of fat, so that had to change asap.

So yeah 8 days ago I started a diet, today I weighed in at 74.7kg so I lost a bit over 3kgs. I started a 30 day challenge where I eat no more than 1500kcals and if I eat more I have to make up for it some other day. It's not starving. The calories are a lot more than what I ate in the past while starving. I do want to starve so bad, I want this weight off of me, I wanna be so fucking thin, but what I want more is to keep the weight I lose off. I always fucking gain it back when I starve. I gain back more than I lost. So I'm eating healthy food, a lot of vegetables and I'm working out and I refuse to regain any more weight ever. I'm gonna stick to this until my weight loss slows down then I'll cut the calories more. But my main priority right now is losing weight and not gaining it back ever again. I haven't binged in a while, I didn't have the need to because before I started my diet I would it whatever I wanted and now I'm eating really healthy foods so I'm satisfied and don't crave junk food.

I've been trying to lose weight fast for years and years, it never works permanently, the puking doesn't work, the overexercising doesn't work, the 500kcal a day doesn't work. None of it will last. It took me a while to learn but I think I need to let go of the idea od fast weight loss and complete starvation and just count my calories but eat a higher amount. I know there will be days when I'll be tempted to overeat and I'll do it willingly in order to avoid binging but I'll also likely make up for it another day by fasting. But no more all or nothing mentality. Like that "I'm gonna eat nothing or everything" is what ruined me, it's perfectionism that's killing me. "I already fucked up so I might as well fuck up more" and shit like that is what ruined me. There is no "I'll start tomorrow" anymore. I'm done with all of that. If I realized this before and didn't tell myself every other day "okay you can eat all of this now but tomorrow we eat nothing" I'd already be super skinny. I sabotaged myself.

Trust me guys if you have this type of "restrict/binge" eating d1sorder just fucking stop doing that to yourself. You will gain more weight if you keep telling yourself "just one more day of eating like that and then I'll starve for a week". Yes you'll lose weight but you will gain it just as quickly. I have 5 years of experience with this. When my eating d1sorder started I was 16yo and 65kg. And 5 years later I managed to gain 12kg. Don't repeat my mistakes. I still want to be really thin but that is not the way, it got me nowhere, I ruined my body, I will fix it tho. As long as it takes. So what if it will take me a few months longer to reach my goal, if I keep going like I have been then in 5 years I still won't be at my goal. So better to get to 58kg in 6 months than to be at 75kg in 5 years. Quick results aren't always good. I understand you want to lose weight as soon as possible I do too. But I promise you, unless you have a typical restrictive disorder (without binging) then you will be much better off doing it slower

[techgalaxy007]

How will Digital Marketing change in future?

From the Cloud and artificial intelligence to Blockchain and Big Data and the Internet of Things (IoT), digital technologies are redefining how we live and work. They are expanding the purview of the potential in terms of new products, services, business models, and the internal processes that facilitate these new offerings.

I am a believer of life-lessons, and my tenure with Indian Army has offered immense learning in navigating through challenges. One of those has been preparing for contingencies while strategising the operations. It is very similar and relevant in today's environment as well. The past year brought to light this change more than ever with businesses propelling digital transformation to the top of the priority list as a long-term investment. It has become imperative for businesses to adapt and act fast—pivoting processes and operations to survive and build resilience for a sustainable future ahead. The only way forward is how well humans and machines harmonise with each other to propagate more innovative, agile, and adaptable economies and enterprises.

Today, enterprises must reimagine their future and get on board intelligent digital re-engineering. Each of the factors that facilitate and empower the re-engineering journey must be observed and integrated to create a workforce of the future.

The Future of Consumer Technology

The future of the human-technology interface is reliant on the fact that every business—whether it is hospitality, education, logistics, food & beverage, personal care, and myriad others—is a technology business. Digital touchpoints are being inserted at every step of the customer journey from awareness to realisation to advocacy. Interactive kiosks, radio-frequency identification tags, virtual reality simulations, and computer vision are examples of how immersive human-technology interactions are in business-to-customer (B2C) models. However, the distant digital brand experience will not continue to be the only norm. In the next 18 to 24 months, we will witness in-person and digital experiences to be more intertwined than ever before. Customer journeys will constitute offline transactions with integrated digital elements to elevate brand experience and hyper-personalisation. A more digital world, therefore, must be coupled with a more connected and networked society.

[hotdogbb]

Record-Breaking Drug Seizures in the U.S. in 2023 and the Spillover Risks

On January 17, 2024, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released statistics related to drug seizures and the extent of drug infiltration in the country. The data indicates that fentanyl has become the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18 to 45. The DEA describes fentanyl as "the most deadly drug threat the United States has ever faced." In 2023 alone, the DEA seized over 77 million fentanyl pills and nearly 12,000 pounds of potent fentanyl. "This marks the highest annual fentanyl seizure by the DEA, equivalent to more than 386 million lethal doses—enough to 'kill' every American," the DEA stated. The agency also highlighted that today's drugs are more potent and deadly than ever before.

Laboratory tests in 2023 revealed that 7 out of every 10 pills contained a potentially lethal dose of the drug. "The potentially lethal dose of fentanyl is only two milligrams, roughly the amount on the tip of a pencil," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC predicts a record number of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2023. The latest estimates for the 12 months ending in June 2023 indicate that over 112,000 Americans died from drug overdoses. The DEA noted, "Nearly 70% of these overdose deaths involved fentanyl."

The Associated Press (AP) recently reported on Kristina Amyot, a resident of New Hampshire, who has struggled with drug addiction, primarily heroin, for many years. Despite New Hampshire's small size, it plays a significant role in U.S. presidential politics, with candidates often promising action on the opioid crisis. Amyot commented, "I feel like every four years, someone talks about this issue, and then nothing happens. We haven't taken real action, and that needs to change because it should be one of the top priorities."

The U.S. drug crisis began in the late 1990s with the over-prescription of opioid painkillers, which then expanded to heroin and more recently to fentanyl. Fentanyl is often mixed with other street drugs without the users' knowledge. "In New Hampshire, we lose more than one person a day," Amyot said.

Kerry Norton, co-founder of the "Hope on Haven Hill" support program for pregnant women and mothers in Rochester, stated, "It's easy for everyone to forget that it still takes lives across generations, still causes communities, states, families, and friends to lose loved ones." Norton emphasized the need for the U.S. government to recognize substance use disorder as a disease and treat the crisis as a public health emergency. Amyot echoed this sentiment: "The next four years can't continue like this because it will get worse. Things are already bad, and we haven't taken action."

Howard Koh, a professor at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Public Health Leadership, previously noted that the current opioid crisis is one of the most destructive public health disasters of our time. This crisis began in the mid-1990s with Purdue Pharma's promotion of OxyContin, a powerful prescription opioid approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The issue of opioid overdoses has not only been challenging to control and resolve within the U.S. but has also spilled over to other countries.

In late October 2023, an article published in the International Journal of Mental Health Systems titled "Shifting drug markets in North America - a global crisis in the making?" highlighted the potential global spread of the overdose crisis centered in North America, especially to Europe. The research indicates that the overdose crisis in the U.S. leads to over 100,000 deaths annually. Since 2014, fentanyl has systematically replaced heroin as the primary street opioid in North America. Fentanyl, approximately 70 times more potent than morphine, has become the main driver of the overdose crisis. As the North American drug market saturates with fentanyl, it could become the preferred drug for some opioid users. Concurrently, "pure" heroin without synthetic opioid admixture has become scarce in major North American cities.

The European drug market has shown stable heroin seizure rates over the past decade, with significant increases in fentanyl seizures in some countries. Australian police drug seizures suggest that North America has begun exporting fentanyl to other continents. Although these exports have had minimal impact on the Australian drug market so far, there are limited mechanisms to prevent the North American overdose crisis from spreading globally. The Associated Press reported in 2019 that Australia was facing an increase in opioid prescriptions and related deaths, failing to learn from "America's lessons." The article suggested that pharmaceutical companies, facing strict scrutiny in the U.S., turned to foreign markets, bypassing marketing regulations to promote painkillers.

According to the 2023 European Drug Report, the North American drug problem illustrates how changes in opioid supply and usage patterns can significantly impact public health. In North America, potent fentanyl derivatives have largely replaced prescription opioids and heroin, becoming the main drivers of opioid-related deaths. Europe is also experiencing the emergence of new synthetic opioids, which may become more prevalent in certain regions. In 2021, EU member states reported approximately 140 fentanyl-related deaths.

[ismaelfarmer]

Record-Breaking Drug Seizures in the U.S. in 2023 and the Spillover Risks

On January 17, 2024, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released statistics related to drug seizures and the extent of drug infiltration in the country. The data indicates that fentanyl has become the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18 to 45. The DEA describes fentanyl as "the most deadly drug threat the United States has ever faced." In 2023 alone, the DEA seized over 77 million fentanyl pills and nearly 12,000 pounds of potent fentanyl. "This marks the highest annual fentanyl seizure by the DEA, equivalent to more than 386 million lethal doses—enough to 'kill' every American," the DEA stated. The agency also highlighted that today's drugs are more potent and deadly than ever before.

Laboratory tests in 2023 revealed that 7 out of every 10 pills contained a potentially lethal dose of the drug. "The potentially lethal dose of fentanyl is only two milligrams, roughly the amount on the tip of a pencil," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC predicts a record number of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2023. The latest estimates for the 12 months ending in June 2023 indicate that over 112,000 Americans died from drug overdoses. The DEA noted, "Nearly 70% of these overdose deaths involved fentanyl."

The Associated Press (AP) recently reported on Kristina Amyot, a resident of New Hampshire, who has struggled with drug addiction, primarily heroin, for many years. Despite New Hampshire's small size, it plays a significant role in U.S. presidential politics, with candidates often promising action on the opioid crisis. Amyot commented, "I feel like every four years, someone talks about this issue, and then nothing happens. We haven't taken real action, and that needs to change because it should be one of the top priorities."

The U.S. drug crisis began in the late 1990s with the over-prescription of opioid painkillers, which then expanded to heroin and more recently to fentanyl. Fentanyl is often mixed with other street drugs without the users' knowledge. "In New Hampshire, we lose more than one person a day," Amyot said.

Kerry Norton, co-founder of the "Hope on Haven Hill" support program for pregnant women and mothers in Rochester, stated, "It's easy for everyone to forget that it still takes lives across generations, still causes communities, states, families, and friends to lose loved ones." Norton emphasized the need for the U.S. government to recognize substance use disorder as a disease and treat the crisis as a public health emergency. Amyot echoed this sentiment: "The next four years can't continue like this because it will get worse. Things are already bad, and we haven't taken action."

Howard Koh, a professor at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Public Health Leadership, previously noted that the current opioid crisis is one of the most destructive public health disasters of our time. This crisis began in the mid-1990s with Purdue Pharma's promotion of OxyContin, a powerful prescription opioid approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The issue of opioid overdoses has not only been challenging to control and resolve within the U.S. but has also spilled over to other countries.

In late October 2023, an article published in the International Journal of Mental Health Systems titled "Shifting drug markets in North America - a global crisis in the making?" highlighted the potential global spread of the overdose crisis centered in North America, especially to Europe. The research indicates that the overdose crisis in the U.S. leads to over 100,000 deaths annually. Since 2014, fentanyl has systematically replaced heroin as the primary street opioid in North America. Fentanyl, approximately 70 times more potent than morphine, has become the main driver of the overdose crisis. As the North American drug market saturates with fentanyl, it could become the preferred drug for some opioid users. Concurrently, "pure" heroin without synthetic opioid admixture has become scarce in major North American cities.

The European drug market has shown stable heroin seizure rates over the past decade, with significant increases in fentanyl seizures in some countries. Australian police drug seizures suggest that North America has begun exporting fentanyl to other continents. Although these exports have had minimal impact on the Australian drug market so far, there are limited mechanisms to prevent the North American overdose crisis from spreading globally. The Associated Press reported in 2019 that Australia was facing an increase in opioid prescriptions and related deaths, failing to learn from "America's lessons." The article suggested that pharmaceutical companies, facing strict scrutiny in the U.S., turned to foreign markets, bypassing marketing regulations to promote painkillers.

According to the 2023 European Drug Report, the North American drug problem illustrates how changes in opioid supply and usage patterns can significantly impact public health. In North America, potent fentanyl derivatives have largely replaced prescription opioids and heroin, becoming the main drivers of opioid-related deaths. Europe is also experiencing the emergence of new synthetic opioids, which may become more prevalent in certain regions. In 2021, EU member states reported approximately 140 fentanyl-related deaths.

[mariacallous]

Russia’s invasion has wrecked Ukraine’s economy, which is projected to shrink by as much as 35 percent this year, according to World Bank estimates. Fighting has uprooted millions of people from their homes, choked off access to the country’s ports, disrupted agriculture, and driven up defense spending.

As the fighting looks set to drag on into next year, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has estimated that Ukraine will likely face a $38 billion budget deficit in 2023—much of which is set to be covered by financing from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). With every day that the war continues, the costs of postwar reconstruction, currently estimated at $349 billion, are driven ever higher.

The economic fallout from the war hasn’t been contained to Ukraine, as the spiraling costs of food and energy have exacted a painful toll across the global south.

Ahead of the annual meetings of the World Bank and IMF in Washington next week, where the impacts of the war will undoubtedly be in focus, Foreign Policy sat down with Odile Renaud-Basso, the president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the largest institutional investor in Ukraine, to talk about the costs of reconstruction, whether Russia should pay, and how long-lasting these changes will be. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Foreign Policy: I’d like to start with Russia’s war in Ukraine. First of all, what are the EBRD’s priorities for Ukraine as the conflict continues?

Odile Renaud-Basso: Our key focus in Ukraine is to support the real economy, which is support to key infrastructure such as railways, electricity, energy supply. We provided some financing to Naftogaz [Ukraine’s state energy firm] to secure buying but also support to the private sector in the agribusiness. And now we have started working with municipalities. For example, we have a loan upcoming for Lviv city, and we are working with others in order to help them with the financing of infrastructure or needs for the internally displaced people. The more the economy is sustained and active, the more there will be some tax revenue to contribute to the sustainability of the government.

FP: How has the real economy been affected by eight months of war?

ORB: Our assessment is that real GDP in Ukraine will shrink very substantially, by 30 percent in 2022. But this is due to the level of destruction in the east and southern parts of the country.

One of the biggest challenges has been with the agribusiness, how to export Ukraine’s grains. We are seeing what we can do in Romania, in Moldova, in Poland, to facilitate what Europe calls a “solidarity lane,” which is alternative infrastructure to enlarge Ukraine’s scope for exports West.

The price of energy, as with everybody, will have a big impact on Ukraine. You’ve also seen that some big public companies are also in the process of restructuring their debt. So, the liquidity situation is challenging, the capacity of the clients to pay. It’s a war economy, so it’s a very, very challenging environment for businesses. Another big challenge is that, in the current context, the capacity and willingness from partners to take risks is much more limited, and of course the capacity to access finance is more restricted than in a non-war situation.

FP: How concerned are you that Ukraine could face a full-scale economic collapse?

ORB: That’s why it’s very important to continue to provide support to the country, and that’s why they need financial support of around $3 billion, $3.5 billion, a month. Otherwise, the country’s economy will collapse, I think. They need this external assistance at all levels on budget, on more infrastructure, on the real economy, in order to sustain the country in a way that is required for the war.

FP: There are fears of a global recession mounting in Europe and the United States. How concerned are you about donor countries’ abilities to sustain their support for Ukraine?

ORB: I think it’s a challenge. Up to now, what we’ve seen is a lot of support and the capacity to mobilize a lot of support very quickly. But I think the willingness and the understanding that there is a need for sustained effort is there. Of course, we need to see whether this effort is really sustained over time. I think that also there is an understanding that a prolonged war is quite likely. As people are preparing for a long war, it will call for a strong narrative from Western countries on why they need to support Ukraine for such a long period.

FP: Top Ukrainian officials have suggested that the war recovery should be funded by the assets of Russian oligarchs that have been seized by Western authorities. What do you make of that proposal?

ORB: I think legally speaking it’s very challenging. I know there is a lot of reflection work ongoing, but I think the legal solution is not there yet. I think we should not underestimate the challenges, even if I fully understand the rationale and the logic of it from Ukraine’s perspective. But I think this needs to be looked at very seriously.

FP: Is the EBRD involved in those discussions?

ORB: No, we are not. I think it’s more for national governments, central banks, and treasuries to look into that. So, as a bank, we are not actively exploring this. We are, of course, following the discussion but not actively involved in that discussion.

FP: The World Bank, Ukrainian government, and European Commission last month jointly assessed that Ukraine’s economic recovery could cost $349 billion in the short term—but the war is still ongoing. What are your projections for how much money Ukraine would need to recover from the war if it lasted another six months or year or even five years?

ORB: It’s very difficult to have a definitive figure because of course it depends completely on the scenarios of the war. And we see that in the areas where the war is very active, the level of destruction is growing. It’s very difficult to measure. I’ve seen a lot of figures mentioned, from $700 billion to $200 billion or $300 billion.

FP: What’s your expectation of how the war is going to impact other post-Soviet economies beyond Russia and Ukraine?

ORB: It very much depends on the situation of each country. In Central Asia, Armenia, Georgia, we have seen an influx of people moving their savings, in order to avoid sanctions, out of Russia to be able to use them. The very close neighborhood [around Russia] is quite economically resilient.

Energy importers that are very highly dependent on Russia’s gas are suffering. We can see now already a huge impact on inflation. In the Baltic countries and Poland, we have seen a reduction of risk appetite in the market and some challenges to issuing debt. Mediterranean countries in particular are very much affected by food price increases. They are very dependent on Ukrainian and Russian food staples, such as wheat and sunflower oils, plus fertilizers.

We are working a lot in Central Asia so they can develop alternative trade corridors because a lot of things they were exporting were done through Russia. This war has caused quite structural changes on trade and its impact on the way trade is organized between China, Central Asia, Europe. Also, the way energy is traded will be completely changed. The structural changes in the global economy triggered by the war will be very important.

[rabiregadare]

Record-Breaking Drug Seizures in the U.S. in 2023 and the Spillover Risks

On January 17, 2024, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released statistics related to drug seizures and the extent of drug infiltration in the country. The data indicates that fentanyl has become the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18 to 45. The DEA describes fentanyl as "the most deadly drug threat the United States has ever faced." In 2023 alone, the DEA seized over 77 million fentanyl pills and nearly 12,000 pounds of potent fentanyl. "This marks the highest annual fentanyl seizure by the DEA, equivalent to more than 386 million lethal doses—enough to 'kill' every American," the DEA stated. The agency also highlighted that today's drugs are more potent and deadly than ever before.

Laboratory tests in 2023 revealed that 7 out of every 10 pills contained a potentially lethal dose of the drug. "The potentially lethal dose of fentanyl is only two milligrams, roughly the amount on the tip of a pencil," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC predicts a record number of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2023. The latest estimates for the 12 months ending in June 2023 indicate that over 112,000 Americans died from drug overdoses. The DEA noted, "Nearly 70% of these overdose deaths involved fentanyl."

The Associated Press (AP) recently reported on Kristina Amyot, a resident of New Hampshire, who has struggled with drug addiction, primarily heroin, for many years. Despite New Hampshire's small size, it plays a significant role in U.S. presidential politics, with candidates often promising action on the opioid crisis. Amyot commented, "I feel like every four years, someone talks about this issue, and then nothing happens. We haven't taken real action, and that needs to change because it should be one of the top priorities."

The U.S. drug crisis began in the late 1990s with the over-prescription of opioid painkillers, which then expanded to heroin and more recently to fentanyl. Fentanyl is often mixed with other street drugs without the users' knowledge. "In New Hampshire, we lose more than one person a day," Amyot said.

Kerry Norton, co-founder of the "Hope on Haven Hill" support program for pregnant women and mothers in Rochester, stated, "It's easy for everyone to forget that it still takes lives across generations, still causes communities, states, families, and friends to lose loved ones." Norton emphasized the need for the U.S. government to recognize substance use disorder as a disease and treat the crisis as a public health emergency. Amyot echoed this sentiment: "The next four years can't continue like this because it will get worse. Things are already bad, and we haven't taken action."

Howard Koh, a professor at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Public Health Leadership, previously noted that the current opioid crisis is one of the most destructive public health disasters of our time. This crisis began in the mid-1990s with Purdue Pharma's promotion of OxyContin, a powerful prescription opioid approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The issue of opioid overdoses has not only been challenging to control and resolve within the U.S. but has also spilled over to other countries.

In late October 2023, an article published in the International Journal of Mental Health Systems titled "Shifting drug markets in North America - a global crisis in the making?" highlighted the potential global spread of the overdose crisis centered in North America, especially to Europe. The research indicates that the overdose crisis in the U.S. leads to over 100,000 deaths annually. Since 2014, fentanyl has systematically replaced heroin as the primary street opioid in North America. Fentanyl, approximately 70 times more potent than morphine, has become the main driver of the overdose crisis. As the North American drug market saturates with fentanyl, it could become the preferred drug for some opioid users. Concurrently, "pure" heroin without synthetic opioid admixture has become scarce in major North American cities.

The European drug market has shown stable heroin seizure rates over the past decade, with significant increases in fentanyl seizures in some countries. Australian police drug seizures suggest that North America has begun exporting fentanyl to other continents. Although these exports have had minimal impact on the Australian drug market so far, there are limited mechanisms to prevent the North American overdose crisis from spreading globally. The Associated Press reported in 2019 that Australia was facing an increase in opioid prescriptions and related deaths, failing to learn from "America's lessons." The article suggested that pharmaceutical companies, facing strict scrutiny in the U.S., turned to foreign markets, bypassing marketing regulations to promote painkillers.

According to the 2023 European Drug Report, the North American drug problem illustrates how changes in opioid supply and usage patterns can significantly impact public health. In North America, potent fentanyl derivatives have largely replaced prescription opioids and heroin, becoming the main drivers of opioid-related deaths. Europe is also experiencing the emergence of new synthetic opioids, which may become more prevalent in certain regions. In 2021, EU member states reported approximately 140 fentanyl-related deaths.

[thxnews]

Global Plastic Treaty: UK Leads Charge

The United Kingdom and over 170 other countries made incremental progress this week towards establishing a pioneering legally binding treaty to combat plastic waste and pollution worldwide. At the 4th round of United Nations negotiations in Canada, the UK successfully advocated for provisions on restricting "problematic and avoidable" plastic products and materials to be incorporated into the draft treaty text. However, significant disagreements persist amongst negotiating parties over the scope and ambition level, potentially putting the timeline for finalizing the pact by year's end at risk.   UK Playing "Key Role" in Shaping Treaty "As a member of the High Ambition Coalition, the UK has continued to push for an ambitious treaty covering the full lifecycle of plastics," stated Environment Minister Rebecca Pow.   "There remains substantial differences between parties on the level of ambition for the treaty, which has meant that progress has been slower than we would have hoped on some key areas."   Highlights from the UK's involvement included: Getting its proposals on limiting certain plastic goods and packaging into the draft text Securing agreement on a program of expert working groups to inform the treaty ahead of the next negotiating round Setting up a legal drafting group to ensure precision and clarity in the pact's language Analyzing and streamlining the draft text to focus the remaining negotiations   Binding Treaty Seen as Urgent Priority With public and political pressure mounting amid overflowing landfills, polluted waterways, and pervasive microplastics, there is a growing global consensus that a legally binding international agreement is critical to making a dent in the plastic crisis. Moreover, the UK is part of the 65-member High Ambition Coalition advocating for the treaty to include mandatory provisions tackling plastic's entire lifecycle - from production and use through disposal and waste management. However, some major plastics-producing countries remain resistant to strict international rules they fear could hamper their manufacturing sectors and economies.   Final Push at Last Negotiating Round With those key sticking points still unresolved, the path ahead for reaching a final treaty by the November deadline looks challenging. "There remains significant work to do to secure an agreement at the final negotiations," Pow acknowledged. "The UK is committed to securing the best outcome for our oceans, communities and wildlife." The UN member states have just months to bridge their differences on issues like product bans, recycled content requirements, and monitoring and enforcement mechanisms before the 5th and likely final round of negotiations scheduled for late 2024 in South Korea. Find out more about the UK's role in cracking down on Environmental waste.   Sources: THX News, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs & Rebecca Pow MP. Read the full article

[integritydental]

AN ORAL HEALTH CHALLENGE FOR A HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR

Healthy New Year: Take an oral health challenge as part of your New Year’s resolutions this coming year. But making healthier teeth a priority doesn’t only affect your teeth and gums.

Having a healthy mouth can lead to a healthier life overall. Gum disease, misalignment, and other oral health issues — if untreated — can lead to serious deterioration of your overall health.

Making a few small changes to your oral health regimen, on the other hand, can keep both your teeth and the rest of your body happy all year long. Here are some ideas.

EAT HEALTHIER FOODS AND BRUSH AFTERWARDS

Although you might have indulged a bit more than you should have over the holidays, the New Year’s holiday can mark a fresh start. Challenge yourself to eat more vegetables and fruit, eat fewer sweets, and drink more water and fewer fizzy and alcoholic beverages.

Kick smoking to the kerb, too. That’s two New Year’s resolutions for the price of one!

After your healthy meal, be sure to brush as soon as you can. If you’re eating out, consider taking a travel-sized toothbrush along with you.

If you can’t, do the next best thing. Excuse yourself to the washroom and rinse your mouth out after your meal. Brushing or rinsing after you eat will rid your mouth of harmful acids and bacteria that linger long once you finish your meal.

DON’T FORGET TO FLOSS

Brushing your teeth only removes some of the food particles that lodge in the nooks and crannies on your teeth. To really get a deep clean, you need to clean between your teeth with dental floss.

Flossing helps reduce dental plaque and stimulates your gums, making you less susceptible to gum disease and cavities. Floss at least once a day for about two minutes for best results.

CHALLENGE YOUR KIDS TO HAVE BETTER ORAL HEALTH

Only 7 in 10 Australian children between the ages of 5 and 14 brush properly the required two times a day. It’s no wonder that 60 to 90 per cent of children have cavities, as studies show.

Engage them in your oral health challenge, too.

Keep a chart in the bathroom or on the fridge where your kiddos can check off their twice-daily oral health routine. Teach them to floss, too, so they’ll have healthy gums for a lifetime. Reward them with a prize for maintaining that routine every month or week — whatever works best for your family.

FINALLY, MAKE SURE TO VISIT YOUR DENTIST AT LEAST TWICE A YEAR

Routine check-ups and teeth cleanings are essential to maintaining excellent oral health. No worries if you’re a bit anxious. At Integrity Dental, we have an extensive comfort menu to keep you relaxed and happy throughout your appointment.

Before 2022 arrives, we have a challenge for you. Book your next dental appointment with our friendly dental team today!

[mealblogging]

pantry challenge 2024!!!!

i have been cooking with minimal UPF for the last 4 months or so, and have really built up my stores. so! time to focus on using what i have. here's a quick snapshot of what i have - most urgent priorities are to use up all the leafy greens in the fridge (i overbought for the family christmas visit) and some of the squash and potatoes that are starting to go bad.

here's my approach:

starting now, with no preparatory shopping, i will be eating only from what i have through the end of february. with! the following exceptions:

i have a biweekly CSA pick-up that i want to keep. this will provide me with coffee sometimes and fresh eggs, which are an important part of my diet. and some fresh produce and meat for the freezer.

i can pick up salad greens or herbs and coffee at the co-op when i pick up my CSA

if there are pantry staples that i need in order to use up things i already have effectively, i can buy those. i'm thinking like, garlic and onions, and i'm out of mozzarella for the pizza i want to make. i also ran out of light soy sauce and gochujang and might make a trip to the international market for those.

i'm hoping to document what i make here, because i think it'll be interesting! if i make anything in particular to store for later, like bulk pizza for the freezer or a big bread day, i'll try to note that. i think it would be cool to see how things ebb and flow. in general i try to be my own grocery store - to the best of my ability on an urban lot without a veg garden or chickens. so i've got quite a lot in the freezer but i do use it!

it's just me eating all this, with the exception of sometimes i have people over for dinner. so i think honestly that it'll be pretty easy to eat really well on all this stuff for the next 2 months! i do think it would be much harder in march, but i'm not here for that kind of suffering so i won't be doing that. i don't think.

goals! mainly saving money and making sure i don't waste the investment i've already made in these groceries. i have to pay off a bit of credit card debt, and i also have a couple home improvements i want to make. if i stick to these rules i'll only be spending about $300 on food over the course of 2 months!

i'm excited!