Meanwhile, “green” lines of entire industries have popped up everywhere to try to meet consumer demand, with one of the clearest examples of this being the beauty industry. Proclaiming to be “all natural” and “non-toxic” or free of “harsh chemicals” is a pervasive type of branding for beauty products, from moisturizers to sunscreens. But because there is no standard definition for “clean” or even for what constitutes a “harsh chemical,” these sustainability claims can vary wildly.

What we have now in the U.S. and most parts of the world is a lot of interest and ideas on how to address our carbon footprint to reduce global warming. While we cannot dictate to the rest of the world what we think needs to be done, we can certainly lead by example if we want to take those necessary steps. It seems to me that if we look where we should be in the future, we need to start coming together now and discuss the best ways to move forward. These are difficult issues potentially impacting all of our lives.

At the end of World War II, Russia wanted assurances that NATO would not shift eastward, threatening Russian territory. After the fall of the Soviet Union, however, Ukraine and other Eastern European nations became independent, removing the buffer zones between Russia and NATO. Romania, Bulgaria, Poland and the Baltics have all become NATO members, and Russia sees this as a security concern.

I mention all this because it smacks of how on a recent Friday night my wife and I ate at a seafood restaurant, and when it came time to pay our bill, the server, throwing us both for a loop, asked if we wanted separate checks. It was as if we weren’t really together -- just as Putin seemed to be disconnected from the individual on the other side of the conference room. My wife and I both smiled sheepishly at the server’s question, but then my wife blurted out, laughing, “Excuse me?”

In a speech on Feb. 21, 2022, Putin recognized the occupied territories in Ukraine of Donetsk and Luhansk and moved Russian forces into them. In his view, Ukraine’s independence is an anomaly – it’s a state that should not exist. Putin sees his military moves as a way of correcting this divergence. Largely absent from his discussion was his earlier emphatic grievance that an eventual spread of NATO to Ukraine threatens Russia’s security.

Once these areas were established, Buettner and his team studied and identified the lifestyle characteristics that might explain the longevity of those living in each location, including their diets, levels of physical activity, social networks, views on life’s purpose and more. His findings are fascinating, but to make things even better, they are simple and often fun to achieve, particularly with the help of his most recent book, Blue Zones Challenge.

All the athletes start at the same height and go down the same track. So the difference between gold and a disappointing result comes not from gravity and potential energy, but from a fast start, being as aerodynamic as possible and taking the shortest path down the track. While gravity pulls the athletes and their sleds downhill, they are constantly colliding with air particles that create a force called air drag, which pushes back on the athletes and sleds in a direction opposite to their velocity.

On the financial side, the government of Mongolia simply has less money to work with when it comes to addressing health issues. Under normal conditions, Amarsaikhan said, “There is a big gap between urban and rural development. Infrastructure is underdeveloped. We have poor quality of health services and inadequate health care access.” During the pandemic financial issues became even more acute. “The economy is dependent on mining exports.”

I remarked to my wife that this woman had guts to sit by herself at a fashionable establishment, especially around New Year’s Eve when society says you’re supposed to be partying with friends and family. I know when I was single, I avoided eating out alone unless it was at a hamburger joint or diner and I could sit at the counter. At nicer places, I would feel too self-conscious and fear the stigma that I must be worthy of pity.

The western U.S., with the exception of the West Coast, is dry in part because it lies in the rain shadow of mountains. The westerly wind from the Pacific Ocean is forced upward by the mountain ranges in the West. As it moves up, the air cools and precipitation forms on the windward side of the mountains. By the time the wind reaches the leeward side of the mountains, the moisture has already rained out.