#fun fact: no sun protection is 100% effective so you still get the UV benefits even if you wear sunscreen

[marzipanandminutiae]

honestly the positioning of common-sense sun protection- hats, parasols/sun umbrellas, sunscreen, etc. -as either prissy and affected or unnecessary anti-aging obsession is one of the most dangerous lines we've collectively been fed as a society, for 100 years now

like I get where it all started, I do. there ARE health benefits to sun exposure in moderation, those were starting to be understood around the 1910s, and the 1920s fancied themselves the inventors of science and Women Doing Things OutdoorsTM because of some discoveries made and voting rights gained around that time. tanning was the new miracle cure! it meant you were outdoors and active- with no consideration that the "active" part might be what made people feel good, not so much the endless sun exposure! it spoke to European or tropical holidays!

(if you were white. if you had natural, healthy dark skin, no dice; keep rubbing heavy metals on your body to look lighter. there's just no winning)

and unlike forcing factory workers to ingest radium and other harmful fads of the day, the negative effects took years to surface and weren't yet fully understood for what they were

but it took root so deeply that when sunscreen began gaining just a BIT of a foothold...it became associated with the kind of people who use special wrinkle-prevention straws. and some idiot who thinks skin cancer is caused by eating seed oils just reblogged one of my comments on the matter, linking a weird study that claims tanning-bed use is somehow good for you

god

we are never getting out of the Skin Damage Is Beautiful Industrial Complex, are we?

[thetldrplace]

A Brief History of the Ends of the World

I thought it might be fun to walk through a few of the apocalypses that were supposed to have happened since I was a kid.

Climate Change (pt 1) A few years back, I was asked if I believed in Climate Change™. I said no, but that wasn’t exactly true. I don’t really have enough information to ascertain what’s going on. In all honesty, there probably IS some actual anthropogenic warming happening. What I can say is: I was told back in the mid 90’s that global warming would bring a massive heat wave over the earth in 15 years, and ( I was told this by someone I once worked with) THAT’S why (90's) kids were so upset, and with good reason, and if I didn’t take them serious it’s because I was blind to the reality they were living, MAN!

Well I waited and 2010 came and went with no noticeable effects, at least that I could see with my untrained eye. My son would say: Are you kidding? Last year was the hottest year EVER recorded!   Ok, by .03 centigrade with a .3+/- differential, so… maybe, maybe not.

Do I believe in climate change? There may be something to it, but there’s an awful lot that seems fishy to me too. More about that in part 2.

For now, a brief recap of the various ends of the world.  

Nuclear War I was born at the end of the baby-boom. The threat of nuclear war, particularly with the evil empire- the commies, the ruskys, the old Soviet bloc, was ever present. That didn’t abate until after I was in college. But we grew up with bomb drills and people actually building bomb shelters in back yards and euro-pansies singing about 99 balloons. (I loved that song, by the way!)

Over Population There was a book released in 1968 called The Population Bomb, written by Paul Erlich, that hypothesized that at the point the earth reached a population over 5 billion people, resource production would be unable to keep up with demand and by the 70’s hundreds of millions of people would starve to death. He argued it was already too late to do anything about it. None of the predictions came to pass, we’re at 8.5 billion now with more capacity to feed people than ever.

The New Ice Age Would most young people today find it incredible that in the 70’s, we were taught there was a new ice-age coming? Not global warming? This was actually immortalized in the Clash’s catchy 1979 hit London Calling:

The ice age is coming The sun’s zoomin’ in Meltdown expected The wheat is growing thin

Check out the groove here, if you're not familiar with the song 

Yep. Science had established it- and the data DID support it- temps had been cooling since the mid 40s and didn’t start up again until the 80’s, so.... we were entering a new ice age. As it turns out, it wasn’t valid to extrapolate all the way out to a new ice age. 

Acid Rain Then there was acid rain in the 70’s. Atmospheric pollution would turn the rainfall to literal acid that would burn your face off! cause irreparable environmental damages with the concomitant effects on everything else downstream. Never hear about this anymore. Purple Rain we still hear about every once in a while, depending on what radio station formats you listen to.

The Ozone Hole   Then there was the hole in the ozone, indicative of widespread depletion, that was going to kill us in the 80’s. There is a layer of atmospheric ozone that blocks harmful UV from the sun. Remove that and you’ve got yourself a real apocalyptic event. Cancer, sunburns, general harm to plants and animals and earth.....I believe the hole was in Antarctica at the time. (It was too far for me to personally confirm... and too cold) Never hear about it anymore.

Air Pollution When I was a kid in the 70’s we actually had pretty bad smog and air pollution. That was another source of climate disaster that was going to wipe us out. But it is actually much better now. We had regular smog alert days as a kid. I remember we did a time-capsule thing back when I was in junior high, and one of our concerns was explaining how much smog was choking and killing us all. Then it got better. 

Global Warming (pt 2) And then in the 90’s, Al Gore and his inconvenient truth- global warming.  

I can probably write off most of the nonsense predictions as overzealous journalists who needed a catchy headline, without necessarily writing off the premise. But even then, there are anomalies.

So if this is truly an existential threat, then we should be switching away from carbon-based fuels at all costs. Even Greta knows this! It just so happens that, at least for infrastructure, such a technology exists: nuclear. I listened to one proponent say he thought we could literally move 100% away from carbon-based to nuclear, at least as far as power plants were concerned within 30 years, IF the world wanted.  

Yet when I mention this to my son, the answer is: no way, not nuclear. It has to be green. Well, ok, I can get the preference for green, but if humanity’s existence is literally dependent on transitioning away from carbon, and it’s doable through nuclear, why wouldn’t we do it?  Because nuclear is dangerous!  

Well, yeah, there are risks, but our EXISTENCE depends on moving away from carbon-based, so in the cost/benefit analysis, it would seem to be worth it, at least until other means can be developed. Nope.

And then there are the curious accords whereby the western nations, which have the best standards of pollution in the developed world, are the most heavily penalized, while China and India, the worst polluters on the planet, are given a chance to ‘catch up’ to western industrial production.

If this were really an existential threat, then emissions need to stop at all costs, not allow the biggest polluters a chance to catch up on their industrial production.  

And closely tied with that is the idea of ‘climate justice’, which is the final kicker and tells me that these accords probably have little to do with actually caring about the emissions, and mostly to do with transfer of wealth away from the west and towards developing nations.  

So is climate change real? Maybe. But given these facts: 1. I’ve lived through nearly 60 years of wrong apocalyptic predictions 2. The apocalyptic predictions about global warming have failed too, as of yet 3. The anomalies suggest other motivations by the activists rather than protection from extinction

….I think I’ve earned the right to be a bit skeptical about apocalyptic claims. I also acknowledge that skepticism could be justified, and still wrong, so I’m open to suggestions about reducing carbon output, since I don’t want to see the actual apocalypse either.

By the way, if anyone wants an amusing ride down history alley, a bunch of old articles showing some examples of the exaggerations have been documented here:

https://cei.org/blog/wrong-again-50-years-of-failed-eco-pocalyptic-predictions/

[psychotherapyconsultants]

6 Healthy Behavior Tips for Well-Being This Summer

“Summer means happy times and good sunshine. It means going to the beach, going to Disneyland, having fun.” – Brian Wilson

“Summertime, and the livin’ is easy…” Great lyrics by George Gershwin from the classic song he wrote for the 1935 musical Porgy and Bess. Summertime should be a time for individuals, families and friends to spend together doing what makes them laugh, enjoy each other’s’ company, and contribute to everyone’s overall well-being. In the middle of vacation or weekend getaway planning, or just carving time out of your busy schedule for some fun activities, keep these six healthy behavior tips in mind.

Get active outdoors.

With a preponderance of good-weather days to take advantage of, why not do just that? Get outside with friends and family and participate in the wealth of activities summertime seems to invite. Science shows that being outside in nature has wide-ranging health benefits, everything from reducing the risk of heart problems diabetes, stress, high blood pressure, premature birth and premature death to an increase in overall well-being. A popular health practice in Japan is “forest bathing,” and the desire to commune in greenspace has rapidly caught on in America. With all the national, state and city parks, as well as conscientious homeowners planting trees, shrubs and gardens, there’s ample opportunity to get outside and take in what nature has to offer. Exercise, play sports, go to the beach or amusement park, have a picnic, fish, snorkel, go for a walk. The choices are endless.

Hydrate and eat light.

Water is your body’s best friend when it comes to effectively combatting summertime heat. The sun is extremely dehydrating, along with challenging or vigorous physical exercise and activity when the temperatures soar. You may not realize you’re thirsty until the damage is already done. Avoid the risk of sunstroke and other medical complications, some of which can be life-threatening, by regularly drinking water and other non-alcoholic fluids. Health experts say to start by drinking 16-20 ounces of water 1-2 hours before exercising, and 6-12 ounces of water every 15 minutes when you’re outside. When you come back inside, you’re still not done rehydrating. Drink another 16-24 ounces. While you’re at it, avoid stuffing yourself in the heat. You’ll feel sluggish, unmotivated to get moving, and your digestive system will have to work harder to process all that food. Instead, eat light and avoid too much sugar and carbohydrates. You’ll sleep better at night too.

Put away the smartphone while driving.

You might think you’re wonderfully ambidextrous and adept at multi-tasking, yet the science is not on your side. It’s impossible to fully devote your attention and focus to more than one activity at once. Something’s going to give. When you’re behind the wheel, put away the smartphone, say all the experts. Even though you firmly believe it’s not all that dangerous to sneak in a quick text, call or peruse social media at the stoplight or while idling in traffic, the obsession to engage in this unhealthy behavior may do more than cause other drivers to honk their horns at you. You could very well cause or be in an accident because your concentration isn’t where it should be – on your driving.

Research shows that talking on a smartphone or other mobile device increases risk of a crash by 2.2 times, while texting increases that risk by 6.1 times. The researchers also found that females are more likely than males to use phones while driving, and more years of experience driving decreases distracted driving. They noted that drivers, while usually able to self-regulate in certain instances, such as in heavy traffic or curving road conditions, they’re less likely to be able to identify where it’s safe to use the phone. The strong recommendation: put the phone away until you can pull over to safely use the device.

Protect your skin from UV rays and exposure to carcinogens from barbequing.

Relaxing at the beach can be a prosocial way for friends and families to get in some quality time, yet it’s always wise to bring along several layers of protection against the sun’s harmful ultra-violet (UV) rays. Clothing you can add or shed certainly helps, including wide-brimmed hats, as do various sun protection factor (SPF) creams and lotions. The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends choosing a higher-protection broad spectrum SPF sunscreen (30 or 50) that’s water-resistant for the best protection. Summertime cookouts on the barbecue have long been a favorite, yet new research shows that the skin (in addition to the lungs) absorbs harmful carcinogens from compounds released during smoking and grilling. Just because you’re wearing a shirt and pants, or other protective clothing doesn’t eliminate the exposure. For this reason, experts recommend washing those barbecue-smoke exposed garments right afterward.

Do your best to stay cool.

Excessive heat and high humidity are extraordinarily dangerous to your health, responsible for heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and organ and other bodily systems failure as the circulatory and central nervous systems shut down. When temperatures climb into the 100s, the humidity skyrockets, and remains there for days on end, you feel depleted, drained, unmotivated, dull and it takes longer to concentrate and focus. Keeping the body cool is a must, so make sure you have access to somewhere indoors where the temperature is controlled and cool. Whether that’s an air-conditioned room at home, a shopping mall, movie theater, restaurant, sporting event or entertainment venue, do your best to stay cool.

Laugh a lot.

Nothing makes you feel immediately better like a good laugh. In fact, laughter is such an excellent medicine, if it could be packaged and sold, it’d be worth millions. Since you can’t buy laughter, however, it’s priceless. Tell some family-friendly jokes at your next get-together to spark congeniality in the group. Be on the lookout for a good comedy on TV, through a streaming service, or at the movies. Sit back with those you care about and let yourself enjoy the humor. Go ahead and laugh out loud. Laughing helps you effectively cope with stress, make more of social relationships, helps in coping with distress, reduces feelings of anger and helps boost happiness. Smiling and laughing may even help you live longer.

from World of Psychology https://psychcentral.com/blog/6-healthy-behavior-tips-for-well-being-this-summer/