Jaw unclenching/stretching exercise: keep your tongue on the roof of your mouth while lowering your jaw

They are not independent of each other though. We wouldn’t need nearly as much crop farming if it weren’t going to feed livestock

Yeah, I’m not fully vegan either because it is hard to go 100% in our society and I grew up in a very meat heavy household, takes time to change. I tend to stick more with Impossible for the plant based meat alternatives, especially the ground beef substitute. I find finishing it in the air fryer/convection oven improves the texture a lot. But chickpeas have become a larger part of my diet, they’re pretty versatile.

about 80% of agricultural land globally is used for raising live stock or growing food to feed livestock, but animal-based products provide less than 20% of calories consumed by humans. Meat is the main cause of industrial farming

If only there was some sort of Impossible plant-based solution that went Beyond expectations in terms of taste and lower resource use than meat…

The new Slate mini pick up trucks are expected to be in production this year and come in around $20k new. Used EVs already come in under $20k and are good enough for daily commuting in that price range, perhaps not long distance road trips at that price

And/or public transit!

Propaganda from the fossil fuel industry.

Solar panels are the cheapest source of electricity now. Batteries have dropped in price by more than 90% in the past decade, and are now viable for grid-scale storage, addressing the main issue with renewable energy. EVs are competitive with combustion cars, and in some ways superior. Heat pumps are now superior to furnaces in many locations. The solar punk future is now! But you wouldn’t know any of this by listening to the public discourse, mainstream media, and many politicians.

Relevant video from Technology Connections

Los Angeles uses plastic balls to cover their drinking water reservoir… At least solar panels provide energy too

Donald Glover. He’s so talented in so many ways.

He started as a stand up comedian and now has 2 Emmy’s and 5 Grammys

He’s got EGOT potential

Not sure if it’s still the case, but airlines used to give flight credits to doctors who helped out. Probably not Spirit though…

A relevant and high quality video from Technology Connections about how poor of a use of land it is to grow corn for ethanol

I started volunteering with my local Weed Warriors group. We tackle invasive vines and bushes that kill native trees and block out the understory for native plants. It’s really satisfying when you liberate a tree or rip out an invasive bush. I like the exercise and social connection too. Search to see if your community has a weed warrior group or other conservation group that does field work. They can have a training/certification program. Some improve hiking trails too.

Your financial situation could vary a lot in ways that may not provide good advice from internet strangers. Suggest talking with a financial advisor, see if you employer has access to one as a benefit.

For buying a house three key factors are: what is your current interest rate and potential new interest rate? Do you have stable income/recession resistant job (even if a recession may be a ways off)? How many months of an emergency fund would you have after the purchase (is that enough for your risk tolerance?)?

Timing the economy is challenging and many have lost out on trying. Even if you see bad signs for the economy, it can take years for that to have real world impacts on employment or housing values. The market can stay irrational/in denial for a long time until a crash.

I replaced my gas water heater with a heat pump water heater. It’s great! I live in a humid climate and having the extra cooling/dehumidifying in the summer is a great bonus. It does make the basement noticably colder all year round though. The energy/financial savings are essentially, I get free hot water in the summer, and a little extra demand for heating the house in the winter.

Recovery time is not really noticeable unless we have company staying with us. My Rheem unit has a “High Demand” mode that kicks on both the heat pump and resistive elements to provide recovery comparable to a gas heater.

The old heater was end of life and the local incentives made it cheaper to install a heat pump water heater than any other type. 15-20 years is considered end of life, most warranties only go to 10 years.

Most tank water heaters have a sacrificial rod or two regardless of heat source

Tankless water heaters are really only practical with burning either oil or gas, the main benefit being you’ll never run out of hot water.

Undecided with Matt Ferrell has a good video on heat pump water heaters Technology Connections has a good video on home electrification

Edit: find a contractor(s) who know how to work with local incentives. Federal tax credits were ended by the “Big Beautiful Bill” last year.

And very few working class people have an effective tax rate of 40%, even in high tax states

BMI was never discredited. It’s always been intended as a population-level estimate of obesity. There have been a number of studies over the years that have correlated other health outcomes to BMI, but those things are intended to be population-level correlations. For example BMI is correlated with average expected life span, where a BMI in the “healthy” range is correlated with longer average lifespans, and both under or overweight BMIs are correlated with shorter average lifespans. Your specific health situation may vary.

MRI or DXA scans can more accurately determine body fat percentage to determine obesity. Comparing those with BMI has an error rate of around 20% of people being miscategorized as under or overweight.

Bottom line, don’t be sedentary all the time, get physical activity and eat a healthy diet instead of getting too hung up on what metrics are best. Progress over perfection.

I like Harvard’s Nutrition Source for science-based nutrition info that’s easy to read.

Yes, I keep slowly expanding my mulched native flower bed.

If you’re in the US, Prairie Moon Nursery has a great selection of exclusively plants native to North America and ships. Live plants tend to be best in the spring, their seed mixes are excellent in late fall. And they have a lot of how to guides.

If you smoke, quitting is the number one thing you can do to improve your physical and mental health. Nicotine worsens anxiety and depression long-term by disrupting dopamine signaling in your brain. In the US you can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit Lung.org for free evidence-based resources to help with quitting.

Shout out to cuttlefish