Best Friend

• If you weren’t already impressed by dogs, check out these stats in a tweet from Michael Easter. Getting a dog is one of the healthiest things you can do to live longer. 

Cooking

• We love using cast iron pans, but they are heavy and even after seasoning they don’t become very nonstick. Check out this black carbon steel fry pan. Very similar to cast iron, but not as heavy and much more nonstick. 

Clean Air

• Here is a post from Marginal Revolution with a handful of links on why air pollution is bad. If you live in the city, consider getting air purifiers for your house. Also, check out the Marginal Revolution website from economist Tyler Cowen who is really more of a polymath who posts on a huge range of topics. 

Processed Food

• Several recent media stories have covered ultra-processed food. Here is a great piece in the New Yorker. This map from Twitter was very eye opening, looking at the percentage of food that is ultra-processed across different countries in Europe.

Snack

• Speaking of processed food, we have been eating a somewhat healthy, low-carb one that tastes very similar to real chips: HiLo chips; here is a variety pack on Amazon. Costco usually carries the nacho cheese flavor in a large bag. 

Coffee on the Road

• I had been looking into the Aeropress coffee maker for a while, but was waiting for a stainless steel version they are supposed to release in the next year. We were on a lake trip and needed a coffee maker, so we picked up an Aeropress at Target. Definitely worth $40. Takes up very little space / easy to pack, easy to use. Just need a source of hot water, but you can even cold brew coffee with it. 

Quotes

“Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich, by promising to protect each from the other.”
― Oscar Ameringer

“No normal life is free of pain, it is inevitable, denying pain is denying life itself.”
– Pat farmer, federal parliament of Australia