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Ferida Wolff's Backyard: Creepy Spider Webs
Ferida Wolff Writes: "Creepy as they may be, spider webs are pretty amazing. They have an artistic quality about them, and a variety of purposes. Not only do they catch insects for food but they provide help for the spider to travel from one place to another, they protect a spider’s dwelling space and also provide safety for an egg sac. Hopefully, not near my garage." more »
Ferida Wolff's Backyard: Corn Rows and Hurricane Ida
Ferida Wolff writes: Now, traveling by local farms reminds me that Autumn is here. The cornstalks, so plentiful during growing season, are turning brown and wilting. Farmers are cutting them down, leaving the fields covered with the remains of summer’s corn crop. It’s nature’s reminder that all things flourish for a time and then release their energy. What we need now is a new way to look at our environment. Perhaps by changing our interference with nature we can modify the strength and number of storms in the future. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a part of the U.S. Department of Commerce posted a recent article: US Hit By 18-Billion Dollar Disasters So Far This Year
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The Hidden US COVID-19 Pandemic: Orphaned Children – More than 140,000 US Children Lost a Primary or Secondary Caregiver Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
One US child loses a parent or caregiver for every four COVID-19 deaths, a new modeling study published in Pediatrics reveals. The findings illustrate orphanhood as a hidden and ongoing secondary tragedy caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasizes that identifying and caring for these children throughout their development is a necessary and urgent part of the pandemic response – both for as long as the pandemic continues, as well as in the post-pandemic era ... In the closing words of the paper, “Effective action to reduce health disparities and protect children from direct and secondary harms from COVID-19 is a public health and moral imperative.” more »
Kaiser Family Foundation: Wildfire Smoke Is Here to Stay. Here’s How to Clean the Air Inside Your Home
The fierce wildfires that broke out across much of the western United States this summer, spreading smoke across hundreds of miles, continue to pose a serious health hazard to millions. That’s a major health concern because microscopic particles in wildfire smoke, carried by the wind, can penetrate deep into your lungs and travel into your bloodstream. One study linked wildfire smoke exposure to a twofold increase in the rate of asthma and a 40% rise in strokes and heart attacks. But the smoke can get into your house or apartment. So you might want to consider investing in equipment to clean the air inside your home, especially with climate change likely to continue escalating the scope and intensity of the fires. more »