Smartphones, Ultra-Processed Foods, Diminished Family Bonds and Mental Wellness

As mental well-being has remained largely static across the world since 2021, so too have the rankings of countries. At the top of the rankings are many Latin American and African countries while much of the core Anglosphere ranks in the bottom quartile. With national wealth indicators such as per capita GDP negatively correlated with average mental well-being scores (see our 2021 report), this year we have made substantial progress in our understanding of why this is so. Two key findings published in Rapid Reports in 2023 show that younger age of first smartphone ownership and ultra-processed food consumption are two major contributors to our mental health challenges. In wealthier countries, the age of first smartphone ownership is much younger and ultra-processed food consumption much higher. Other contributing factors are the relatively diminished family relationships in wealthier countries that are highlighted in our 2022 annual report. The Mental State of the World in 2023https://mentalstateoftheworld.report/2023_read/

Another Sunday morning, just reading and connecting the dots.

I’ve downloaded several of these reports and plan to do a deep dive later.

Read these reports and think about it.

Now do something about it.

Hallucinogenic Drugs at a Gas Station Near You!

Newly released testing data of Diamond Shruumz-brand gummies purchased in 2023 identified the presence of psilocin, a hallucinogenic drug closely related to the magic-mushroom drug psilocybin that is classified as a Schedule I drug, alongside psilocybin, heroin, and LSD. The finding comes as Diamond Shruumz’s current line of gummies, chocolates, and candy cones is being recalled and are under active investigation in connection to a nationwide rash of severe illnesses, which have involved seizures, intubation, and intensive care. As of the latest update on July 15, 69 people in 28 states have been sickened after eating a Diamond Shruumz product. Sixty of the 69 sought medical care, 36 were hospitalized, and there is one potentially associated death under investigation. Illegal drug found in Diamond Shruumz candies linked to severe illnesses — https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/07/illegal-drug-found-in-diamond-shruumz-candies-linked-to-severe-illnesses/

I’ll stick with my gas station beers, thanks.

Flamethrower + Robot Dog = (fill in the blank)

Thermonator, the first “flamethrower-wielding robot dog,” is legal in 48 US states.

At first I thought this wasn’t real after reading this article but it is.

You can now buy a flame-throwing robot dog for under $10,000 https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/04/you-can-now-buy-a-flame-throwing-robot-dog-for-under-10000/

I had to watch the video. I suggest sound off if you don’t want to poop in your pants.

YIKES

Is Your Car Insurance More Expensive?

For me, yes.

I found the above on my insurance company’s policy portal. I totally get the first two items but the third reason caught me off guard. I really shouldn’t be surprised since a lot of people forgot how to drive coming out of the Pandemic. Recently over a two day span I encountered three idiots in less than 45 minutes of drive time.

  • In the parking lot of the grocery store a guy pulls out of his spot and starts driving directly towards me. We were both going slow so the head on wouldn’t have been too catastrophic. I braked and stopped. He kept driving straight at me. Was he having a medical issue, a seizure perhaps? This driver then slowly does a very wide U-turn, crosses the parking spaces and starts to head off. SMH.
  • On the way home (SAME DAY) a different idiot decides to make a left turn from the far right lane and cuts me off. SMH x2. On this day I was averaging one idiot every 15 minutes.
  • Last but not least another idiot darted out of a cross street, cuts me off and starts speeding away.

So if you want to know why your car insurance premiums are higher it’s because of the idiots. Pretty soon, premiums will go up again because of the robots.

A woman was found trapped under a driverless car. It’s not what it looks like, the car company said — https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/03/tech/driverless-car-pedestrian-injury/index.html

Thank you all for letting me vent.

I’m not leaving the house today.

Scary Charts – 08.20.23

There were 464 workplace fatalities from unintentional overdoses due to non-medical use of drugs or alcohol in 2021. This is a 19.6-percent increase from 2020 when there were 388 fatalities and is the ninth consecutive annual increase. Unintentional overdoses from non-medical use of drugs include overdoses from stimulants such as methamphetamine and from narcotics such as fentanyl.

Unintentional overdoses rose for the ninth consecutive year in 2021– https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2023/unintentional-overdoses-rose-for-the-ninth-consecutive-year-in-2021.htm

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Unintentional overdoses rose for the ninth consecutive year in 2021 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2023/unintentional-overdoses-rose-for-the-ninth-consecutive-year-in-2021.htm (visited August 20, 2023).

The Dark Side of Tik Tok – Soak Your Eyeballs in Castor Oil

Some people on TikTok have been telling you to rub castor oil around and potentially into your eyes, even though it’s approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a laxative and not as an eye remedy. TikTokers have been claiming that castor oil can help treat all sorts of eye problems ranging from eye dryness to floaters to cataracts to poor vision to glaucoma.

TikTokers Push Castor Oil As An Eye Remedy, Here Are The Problems — https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2023/08/12/tiktokers-push-castor-oil-as-an-eye-remedy-here-are-the-problems/?sh=1111bfa485ce

https://www.ophthalmologytimes.com/view/ophthalmologists-castor-oil-shouldn-t-be-rubbed-in-the-eyes-no-matter-what-they-do-on-tiktok

Natural selection at its finest. And we thought drinking detergent was bad. The Dark Side of Tik Tok – Updated

The Dark Side of Tik Tok – Updated

In the latest health fad to alarm and exasperate medical experts, people on TikTok have cheerily “hopped on the borax train” and are drinking and soaking in the toxic cleaning product based on false claims that it can reduce inflammation, treat arthritis, and “detoxify” the body.

Borax is the new Tide Pods, and poison control experts are facepalming — https://arstechnica.com/health/2023/07/borax-is-the-new-tide-pods-and-poison-control-experts-are-facepalming/?comments=1&comments-page=1

Natural selection at its finest.

Good article on Vox. Why TikTokers are drinking laundry detergent https://www.vox.com/technology/2023/7/29/23811639/tiktok-borax-challenge-dangerous-laundry-detergent

The Dark Side of Pickleball

It’s a new national obsession, the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. And by the end of 2023, it’s expected to yield roughly 67,000 emergency department visits, 366,000 outpatient visits, 8,800 outpatient surgeries, 4,700 hospitalizations, and 20,000 post-acute injury episodes. All told, UBS Group AG financial analysts have forecast that the direct medical costs of pickleball will top $377 million this year alone, mostly due to wrist, lower leg, head, or lower trunk injuries…

Felice de Jong, PhD, a 67-year-old scientist who lives in Nellysford, VA, explained that when she first heard the name “pickleball,” she thought it would be a “piece of cake, like playing tiddlywinks.” Because she had spent a lifetime being active, she dove right in after only a few lessons, badly twisted her ankle, developed tennis elbow, and was forced to lay off the paddle for a few weeks before returning to the court. 

As Injuries from Pickleball Surge, Here’s How to Play Safely — https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20230724/heres-how-to-play-pickleball-safely?src=RSS_PUBLIC

I have a 12 court facility located at the public golf course 2 miles from the house.

I’m tempted. Just need to make sure my health insurance premiums are paid and up to date.

Too Hot To Blog

How the day began…

Then this happened…

And of course, advice from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation on staying hydrated…

Which generates the highest of intellectual conversations…