The Daily Valet. - 10/18/23, Wednesday
✔️ All That Glitters ...
Wednesday, October 18th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
What do they say about all that glitters?
Today’s Big Story
Europe’s Ban on Glitter
Is this a ban on fun and sparkly things? No, it’s a ban on microplastics.
Have you heard about the glitter ban? With everything happening in the world right now, I can certainly see where the fate of sparkly dust doesn't seem all that important. But it's also something slightly strange and you'll no doubt be hearing about it, so let's talk about it. As of Tuesday, the European Commission's microplastics restriction went into effect—essentially banning plastic glitter, including the kind used in cosmetics. The move caused panic among influencers and led to an increase in sales in Germany.The Commission is looking to find more environmentally friendly alternatives without microplastics to reduce ocean pollution; it's an arm of the EU's Green Deal, which strives to be the world's first climate-neutral continent by 2050. That's a noble goal. Microplastics, as you know, are polluting the air and water, they're infiltrating wildlife and even the human body—last year, scientists found microplastics in the lungs of surgical patients and in the blood of anonymous donors. That said, it's not yet clear how these plastics harm human health.There's cause to be concerned about microplastic pollution, but there's no need to panic over the future of your favorite glitter eye or thousand-watt lip. A document published by the European Commission specifies that the ban only applies to sparkles made of “non-biodegradable, insoluble plastic”—in other words, glitter that's biodegradable, water-soluble, or made of natural materials (such as mica) is exempt.But doesn't this ban create a lot of waste, you ask? The EU isn't forcing retailers to dump out their glitter stock. Products that are already on the market can continue being sold until stock is gone. Glitter can be sold for “makeup, lip and nail cosmetics” through October 16, 2035, but, “in order to continue to be sold, makeup, lip and nail products need to bear a label indicating they contain microplastics.” Enjoy smearing that on your face.But that leads to the question ... why do we love glitter so much? Humans, even humans who don't like glitter, like glitter. We're drawn to shiny things in the same wild way our ancestors were overcome by a compulsion to forage for honey. A theory that has found favor among research psychologists (supported, in part, by a study that monitored babies' enthusiasm for licking plates with glossy finishes) is that our attraction to sparkle is derived from an innate need to seek out fresh water. And that's all we need to say about it.
FYI:
The U.S. Air Force briefly tried spraying what amounted to glitter—they called it “chaff”—from the back of warplanes. The idea was to create a cloud of false echoes to throw off enemy radar.
A Hospital Blast, and Fears of Escalation
Biden says U.S. is investigating hospital explosion, but it may not matter
Hundreds of people were killed Tuesday night by an explosion at a hospital in Gaza City where thousands of civilians had been sheltering. Palestinian officials say an Israeli airstrike hit the hospital courtyard; the Israeli Defense Forces have denied involvement in the blast, saying intelligence points to a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group. Hours later, President Biden and Middle Eastern leaders canceled a summit to discuss the war.Biden's arrival in Israel today comes against the backdrop of a dramatic escalation, raising the stakes of an unprecedented wartime visit that the world will be closely watching. The Economist's Middle East correspondent Gregg Carlstrom spoke to the broader consequences of Tuesday night's horror: “Israel's room for maneuver on a ground invasion has just shrunk dramatically. Not just because it has lost a good deal of international support, but because the region is now boiling,” he posted on X. “Balanced against all of this is an Israeli public primed for a major war and an Israeli leadership that will not want to appear weak. But the political window for a ground offensive was already shrinking after repeated delays, and the geopolitical calculus has just changed a lot.”Lebanon-based Hezbollah called for a “day of unprecedented anger” against Israel and Biden's visit Wednesday, as fears rise of regional escalation. Axios reports that the White House has been discussing the possibility of using military force if Hezbollah attacks Israel with its huge arsenal of rockets. The Pentagon has already ordered about 2,000 U.S. troops to be prepared to deploy to the Middle East in support of Israel, though likely not in combat roles.
The ‘Mobile’ Homeless
Dozens of parking lots have opened across the country for working people who can afford a car but not rent
According to the latest statistics, more than 580,000 Americans are currently living without adequate shelter. And we know those numbers are always a little murky. Especially given the shame of finding yourself in such a predicament. That's certainly the case for a growing population of working Americans forced to live out of their cars.The New York Times reports that even those with well-paying jobs (especially in expensive cities) can get hit with the perfect storm of piling bills, bad credit and continually rising rents. They go to work, but at night, they're sleeping in parking lots. It's so common, that now real estate is being set aside to provide them a place to park. “Dozens of such lots have opened in the last five years, with new ones being announced every few months, including as far east as Pennsylvania and North Carolina. They are sprinkled across the Midwest and they dot the spine of the Pacific Northwest, providing a safe harbor for those who are wedged in the unforgiving middle.”Known as the “mobile homeless”, they earn too little to afford rent but too much to receive government assistance and have turned their cars into a form of affordable housing. And Baby Boomers are now the fastest-growing segment of America's homeless population. “The fact that we are seeing elderly homelessness is something that we have not seen since the Great Depression,” one social policy professor told the Wall Street Journal. Researchers at UCSF found that about half of the homeless older adults in places like Oakland, California and New York, became unhoused for the first time after their 50th birthday.
Meanwhile:
As homelessness continues to rise, more and more tiny home communities are popping up around the country.
What Is Social Media Costing Us?
Time, of course ... but also billions in scams and regrettable impulse purchases
Just over half of U.S. teenagers (51%) report spending at least four hours per day using a variety of social media apps such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), a recent Gallup survey of young people found. The results show that YouTube and TikTok are by far the most popular social media apps among young people—and that girls spend nearly an hour more on social media than boys (5.3 vs. 4.4 hours, respectively).Amid declining teen mental health, many scholars such as social psychologist Jonathan Haidt have carefully investigated the role of social media, especially given the fact that technology companies have been found to manipulate users into spending more time on the apps through their designs. But it's not just young people who are potentially in trouble.Americans of all ages have been scammed out of a whopping $2.7 billion over the last two years on social media, according to a new report from the Federal Trade Commission. That's far more than consumers lost in other online scams: $700 million more than website scams and $1.8 billion more than email scams during the same period, the FTC says. And even when we're not being swindled, we're still shelling out our hard-earned money via the apps. A survey of Bankrate customers found that 48% of social media users have made an impulse purchase, spending $71 billion. And—no surprise here—six out of 10 buyers regretted at least one of those purchases.
FYI:
4.80 billion people around the world now use social media, 150 million new users have come online within the last 12 months.
In Other News
He failed to win over enough GOP holdouts to reach a majority.
Have you heard about ...
The Long Read
Jump on The Peptide Bandwagon ... if you dare
Enthusiasts claim they can not only treat disease, but also increase weight loss, boost muscle growth, or give you a tan without needing to sit out in the sun. Since the end of last year, the relative popularity of Google searches in the U.S. for “peptides” rose nearly 60%, according to Google Trends.”
- By Louise Matsakis
Read It:
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Morning Motto
Think positively.
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