&;quot;Planet vs Plastics&;quot; is the theme of Earth Day this year. Why&;#63;  Because‚ according to the event’s organizers‚ &;quot;plastics are a danger to humanity and all living creatures‚ disrupting the balance of life on Earth.&;quot; Therefore‚ &;quot;EARTHDAY.ORG is unwavering in our commitment to end plastics for the sake of human and planetary health‚ demanding a 60% reduction in the production of ALL plastics by 2040.&;quot;   That sort of hyperbolic condemnation is typical of many...

Born in 1970‚ Earth Day has evolved into one of the largest civic events of all time. When we observe the 54th Earth Day on April 22‚ the health and safety of the planet couldn’t be timelier‚ especially when it comes to dealing with the proliferation of plastic. Over the past 60 years‚ around eight billion tons of plastic has been produced‚ according to a recent study in the journal Science Advances — 90.5 per cent of which has not been recycled. As a result‚ this year’s Earth...

April 22 marks the 54th celebration of Earth Day. Unfortunately‚ there should be much more to celebrate five decades later.  Even today‚ with an administration that has made environmentalism a top priority‚ the majority of the public believes President Joe Biden has “mostly failed” on climate change. Perhaps that’s because his administration insists on counterproductive methods of decarbonization‚ such as mandating electric vehicles and pausing permits...

As the world turns its attention to the environment we share on this Earth Day‚ the tide of public opinion is turning toward decisive climate action. Statewide carbon-neutral goals‚ emerging carbon credit markets and incentive programs for renewable energies are quickly becoming the new reality. In fact‚ there are even signs of a bipartisan willingness to fight climate change‚ even as there remain serious differences about how to go about it. Seventy-two percent of Americans now acknowledge...

On this 54th Anniversary of America's first Earth Day celebration‚ it is a time to reflect on how we moved from a consensus on the urgent need for environmental protection across the country to woefully underestimating the need for action about climate change. A recent study shows that most Europeans and Americans acknowledge that the climate is warming and that a warming planet will likely hurt humankind. At the same time‚ there is a distortion of the scientific consensus about the data‚...

Four years ago‚ when the Trump administration threatened to ban TikTok in the US‚ its Chinese parent company ByteDance Ltd. worked out a preliminary deal to sell the short video app’s business. Not this time.

Once upon a time‚ our only option for getting clothes clean was to get out a bucket of soapy water and start scrubbing. Nowadays‚ we use fancy machines that not only do the labor for us‚ but give us free reign to choose between endless water temperature‚ wash duration‚ and spin speed combinations. Of course‚ here’s where the paradox of choice comes in. Suddenly you’re second guessing whether that lace item needs to use the “delicates” cycle‚ or the “hand wash” one‚ or what exactly merits a “permanent press” cycle. And now‚ you’re wishing for that bygone bucket just to take away the mental rigamarole.Well‚ you’re in luck. Turns out there’s only one setting you actually need. At least according to one laundry expert.While appearing on HuffPost’s “Am I Doing It Wrong&;#63;” podcast‚ Patric Richardson‚ aka The Laundry Evangelist‚ said he swears by the “express” cycle‚ as “it’s long enough to get your clothes clean but it’s short enough not to cause any damage.”Richardson’s reasoning is founded in research done while writing his book‚ “Laundry Love‚” which showed that even the dirtiest items would be cleaned in the “express” cycle‚ aka the “quick wash” or “30 minute setting.” See on Instagram Furthermore the laundry expert‚ who’s also the host of HGTV’s “Laundry Guy‚” warned that longer wash settings only cause more wear and tear‚ plus use up more water and power‚ making express wash a much more sustainable choice. Really‚ the multiple settings washing machines have more to do with people being creatures of habit‚ and less to do with efficiency‚ Richardson explained.“All of those cycles [on the washing machine] exist because they used to exist‚” he told co-hosts Raj Punjabi and Noah Michelson. “We didn’t have the technology in the fabric‚ in the machine‚ in the detergent [that we do now]‚ and we needed those cycles. In the ’70s‚ you needed the ‘bulky bedding’ cycle and the ‘sanitary’ cycle ... it was a legit thing. You don’t need them anymore‚ but too many people want to buy a machine and they’re like‚ ‘My mom’s machine has “whitest whites.”’ If I could build a washing machine‚ it would just have one button — you’d just push it‚ and it’d be warm water and ‘express’ cycle and that’s it.”According to Good Housekeeping‚ there are some things to keep in mind if you plan to go strictly express from now on.For one thing‚ the outlet recommends only filling the machine halfway and using a half dose of liquid‚ not powder detergent‚ since express cycles use less water. Second‚ using the setting regularly can develop a “musty” smell‚ due to the constant low-temperature water causing a buildup of mold or bacteria. To prevent this‚ running an empty wash on a hot setting‚ sans the detergent‚ is recommended every few weeks‚ along with regularly scrubbing the detergent drawer and door seal. Still‚ even with those additional caveats‚ it might be worth it just to knock out multiple washes in one day. Cause let’s be honest—a day of laundry and television binging sounds pretty great‚ doesn’t it&;#63;To catch even more of Richardson’s tips‚ find the full podcast episode here.This article originally appeared on 2.4.24

Navigating the American healthcare system can give you a rage induced headache. Between the monthly premiums‚ copays‚ coinsurances and deductibles‚ it's enough to make you feel like you're going to lose it. But then there's finding a doctor that's in network that can convince the insurance company that you actually need the procedure they want to do.Tarek Ziad‚ frustrated with the process of trying to schedule with an ophthalmologist took to Instagram with an original song that he sang a cappella. The song has people howling with laughter while simultaneously commiserating with the struggle of navigating referrals for specialty visits. According to the lyrics of the song‚ the man was told he needed to see an ophthalmologist so he called his insurance company to see who was in his network. Ziad sings that calling his insurance company was no help because he was then told that he needed to contact his medical group. But what's a medical group&;#63; It's like peeling back an onion.Ziad sings‚ &;quot;so you go online and you look at all the ophthalmologists and you call them one by one and you go through 29 ophthalmologists and every single one either doesn't answer your call or they don't actually take your medical group. They say 'we've never heard of that medical group.'&;quot;Commenters related to his struggle trying to get into the right kind of doctor‚ or any doctor at all working within the American health insurance system. &;quot;The realest thing I've seen in a phat minute‚&;quot; one person says.&;quot;God the database being out of date and/or simply inaccurate is so infuriating. 'oh‚ no‚ I don't take that insurance.' or 'I used to but I stopped years ago idk why they still loist[sic] me‚'&;quot; another writes.&;quot;You’re going places. Not the ophthalmologist‚ but places‚&;quot; someone jokes.&;quot;Step aside star spangled banner‚ there’s a new national anthem‚&;quot; a commenter jokes. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tarek Ziad (@tarekaziad) All joking aside‚ there were doctors in the comments expressing their frustration and sorrow around insurance companies. One commenter says it was cheaper and faster for her to fly back to Morocco to see an ophthalmologist for eye surgery than having it done the the United States. Yikes. Hopefully‚ Ziad can get in to see the right doctor soon. Maybe his next viral hit will be about billing.

&;quot;If I'm in an audience‚ I wanna hear the hits.&;quot; The post “I wanna hear the hits”: The three songs Paul McCartney would want in his ideal Rolling Stones setlist first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

An underrated gem. The post The best song of the 1990s‚ according to David Gilmour first appeared on Far Out Magazine.