The Daily Valet. - 5/3/23, Wednesday

✔️ The Dangers of Loneliness

Wednesday, May 3rd Edition

By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor

You’re going to want to clean your phone when you’re done reading this.

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Today’s Big Story

The Dangers of Loneliness

The SURGEON GENERAL Says Loneliness poses risks as deadly as smoking

Feeling lonely can be rough. But it can actually be hazardous to your health. Widespread loneliness in the U.S. poses health risks as deadly as smoking up to 15 cigarettes daily, the U.S. surgeon general said Tuesday.About half of U.S. adults say they've experienced serious loneliness, Dr. Vivek Murthy said in an 81-page report from his office. He even went as far as declaring it the country's latest public health epidemic. Murthy said loneliness isn't a uniquely American problem, but instead a feature of modern life around the globe. However, he did note that in the U.S. participation in community organizations—from faith groups to recreational leagues—has declined in recent decades.The report warns that the physical consequences of poor connection can be devastating—including a 29% increased risk of heart disease; a 32% increased risk of stroke; and a 50% increased risk of developing dementia for older adults.NPR reports that across age groups, people are spending less time with each other in person than two decades ago. The advisory reported that this was most pronounced in young people aged 15-24 who had 70% less social interaction with their friends.“We now know that loneliness is a common feeling that many people experience. It's like hunger or thirst. It's a feeling the body sends us when something we need for survival is missing,” Murthy told the Associated Press. “Millions of people in America are struggling in the shadows, and that's not right. That's why I issued this advisory to pull back the curtain on a struggle that too many people are experiencing.”

A Remedy:

Psyche says we often feel more lonely as we age and offers up some good ways to stay connected.

U.S. Braces for Border Chaos

Officials Steel for surge of migrants when pandemic-era immigration rules end May 11

President Biden is sending 1,500 active-duty troops to the southern U.S. border with Mexico, officials said on Tuesday, as the administration braces for a possible influx of migrants seeking to take advantage of the lifting of the Trump-era Title 42 COVID policy ending on May 11. (That public health rule issued during the pandemic gave officials unusual powers to quickly expel migrants who crossed the border without permission.)The administration is readying a new set of policies that would allow the government to quickly deport most migrants crossing into the U.S. back to their home countries, rather than across the border to Mexico. But that policy may not have an immediate effect if the Border Patrol is so overwhelmed that it can't quickly process migrants for deportation.The U.S. is also opening new processing centers in Colombia and Guatemala, which will allow migrants to be pre-screened for lawful pathways such as asylum, refugee status or parole before adding to crowding at the border. Already, some border cities, such as El Paso, Texas, have started to see an uptick in migrants in need of shelter.

FYI:

The military will be deployed for 90 days to supplement 2,500 National Guard troops already at the border.

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Send Some Beautiful Blooms

This is her day and sending a beautiful bouquet of blooms is an easy and impactful way to show how much she means to you.

Your Phone Is a Germ Factory

The microbial infection risk of your OMNIPRESENT mobile device is very real

My apologies if you're reading this over breakfast. And especially if you're reading it on your phone. Because it's about to get ... unpleasant. You see, we've often heard that our phones pick up all sorts of germs. But it turns out that the risk of microbial infection from our beloved devices is very real. Be honest, when did you last clean your phone?A flurry of new data and headlines are compelling us to think about just how filthy that screen that never leaves our side really is. We give them to children to play with (who aren't exactly well known for their hygiene). We eat while using our phones and put them down on all sorts of (dirty) surfaces. And, of course, most of us take them into the bathroom when we're doing our business.According to The Conversation, many studies have proven that our phones can carry many kinds of pathogenic bacteria, which are bacteria that cause disease. The bacteria found can cause skin infections, tuberculosis, diphtheria, urinary tract infections and meningitis, among others. Research also found the bacteria E. coli, which can cause diarrhea and comes straight from human feces. So, it's probably time to start regularly scrubbing that phone down with a proper disinfecting wipe. I'm going to treat mine like something I found inside an airplane seat-back pocket.

FYI:

It’s been estimated that people touch their phone hundreds if not thousands of times a day.

The Future of Travel Is Fast

Meet ‘Stargazer,’ the New Hypersonic Plane That Will Fly From New York to Tokyo in One Hour

While the Concorde's retirement in 2003 slowed investment in the dream of supersonic commercial flights, the last couple of years have brought more and more aerospace companies making strides in the sky. Boom Supersonic already secured billions of dollars of orders from United Airlines and American Airlines. Another leading player is Venus Aerospace, whose upcoming Stargazer jet promises not just supersonic, but hypersonic flight.What does that mean? Well it's about five times faster than supersonic—so that's five times faster than the speed of sound. According to Robb Report, the Stargazer will travel between two cities in the world, says the Houston-based company, by flying 6,905 mph at an altitude of 170,000 feet. That would take you from New York to Tokyo ... in about an hour.In actuality, with that kind of speed, it would place nearly any destination on this Earth within one hour, regardless of where the departure point is. But first it must be tested. Currently, they're utilizing a fuel concept that is being promoted by the U.S. Navy for engine tests. Then they'll build a 20-foot drone that the company hopes will reach Mach 5. After that, the company will build the Stargazer prototype, though no date has been released.

Meanwhile:

Atlanta-based Hermeus is currently working on a Mach 5 aircraft that it calls the “Quarterhorse.”

In Other News

Record-Breaking Blob of Seaweed Hits the U.S.

The smelly sargassum is now washing up in Florida.

Maryland Appeals Court Refuses to Reconsider Adnan Syed’s Sentence

Grasp the Size of a Black Hole in This New NASA Animation

Do We Have to Subscribe to Restaurants, Too?

Have you heard about ...

Razor’s new eBike for adults

The science of the munchies

Natural wine’s goth phase

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Moms Love Flowers

Send some fresh blooms this Mother's Day

Think about it ... she doesn't get enough fresh flowers, does she? This is her day and sending a beautiful bouquet of blooms is an easy and impactful way to show how much she means to you. UrbanStems has long been our go-to for unique and stylish floral arrangements—they have a reputation for sourcing the freshest flowers and creating one-of-a-kind arrangements that you won't find anywhere else. And this year, for Mother's Day, they have an amazing assortment of flowers to choose from. There are natural garden-like arrangements, stylish monochromatic bouquets, big bunches of peonies and more. Which one would suit your mother's tastes?