Fuck Today (Part 1)

[ficuswhisperer]

It’s been a shitty and expensive few months for things breaking down on me.

First we had to replace our water heater. The old one was working but it was past its end of life so it was a matter of time. Since many in my condo association were in the same boat at least the HOA was able to negotiate a group discount which ended up saving some money. Still, not a cost I was anticipating.

Then a few weeks later my range died. I was getting ready to bake some bread and the oven element flamed out and melted. I went to the local appliance shop and that’s when I learned all about the global appliance shortage due to COVID screwing up supply lines and manufacturing. I would have had to wait months to get the range I really wanted so I settled for something lesser that met my needs that I could get in less than a week. It ended up being a dud and needed to be replaced, which took another month. Sigh. But things are better now.

Then my slightly more than 5 year old TV died, which I posted about earlier so that was another unexpected expense.

Then my slightly more than 3 year old dishwasher died - just a couple months after my extended warranty expired. Getting it fixed is going to end up costing nearly as much as a new one when you factor in the cost of a technician visit, parts, and labor (and the associated sales taxes). Buying a new one is out of the question, because global appliance shortage due to COVID. That’s finally getting repaired next week.

[subextraordinaire]

So sorry to hear about this. I remember reading about your TV, and I keep wondering about the possibility of ours dying (it’s 13 and doing great ).

Our landlord had to replace our water heater in the last six months, and then she raised our rent. The oven seems to cook unevenly, so we have another rent increase in the near future?

We really need the screen doors replaced (needed for cross ventilation) because we get bees and wasps making their way into our house. HUGE GAPS! Just last week I trapped a mud dauber that was flying up against the window 18" from my face. The next day I found this between the screen door and the front door

I didn’t realize how dirty the upper part of our doorway is.

[PsiPhiGrrrl]

@ficuswhisperer

Then my slightly more than 3 year old dishwasher died - just a couple months after my extended warranty expired.

Sorry that you’re going through this. My family has had so many major appliances mysteriously self-destruct during the holidays that we started calling it “The Annual Christmas Disaster.” I put something extra in the budget for it, just in case. As for your dishwasher, I’ve long suspected manufacturers install a self-destruct mechanism in their products, with timers set to go off after the warranty coverage ends.

[anon73430903]

Just a warning, Joan Smith (like a lot of Grauniad “feminists”) is OK with transmisogyny.

[anon15383236]

[anon15383236]

Grrrrrrrrrr

We eat microplastics daily, but their effect on our health was a mystery —...

Like all other things, what goes in must go out. But the effects these plastics have while in our bodies are poorly understood. No studies to date have examined their effects in people in a controlled study; only experiments done in animals or human cells in laboratory dishes are available.

Now, a new study has found that microplastics can latch onto the outer membranes — protective envelopes cells live in — of our red blood cells and stretch them out so much that it may affect their ability to transport oxygen throughout the body.

[ClutchLinkey]

Yikes! I can’t access the article, but is there any mention of what foods or drinks they looked at? Like, where did the “credit card” estimate come from?
I wonder if it makes the case for any certain tweaks to the diet…I do enough unhealthy shit, if I can offset it by eating less plastic, I will.

[anon15383236]

It’s a pretty short article that doesn’t seem to answer your q’s, but maybe some of the links do. I’ll just paste it all here:

A new study has found that microplastics can latch onto the outer membranes — protective envelopes cells live in — of our red blood cells and stretch them out so much that it may affect their ability to transport oxygen throughout the body.

Microscopic pieces of plastic are lodged in nearly every bite of food you eat, breath of air you take and ocean you swim in. It’s estimated we ingest enough microplastics each week to equal the weight of a credit card.

Like all other things, what goes in must go out. But the effects these plastics have while in our bodies are poorly understood. No studies to date have examined their effects in people in a controlled study; only experiments done in animals or human cells in laboratory dishes are available.

Now, a new study has found that microplastics can latch onto the outer membranes — protective envelopes cells live in — of our red blood cells and stretch them out so much that it may affect their ability to transport oxygen throughout the body.

The discovery surprised researchers because cell membranes, particularly those of red and white blood cells, are known for their flexibility; they must morph into different shapes as they pass through narrow blood vessels to do their job.

Yet, microplastics’ ability to stretch cells out in turn tightens them, hampering their shape-shifting powers by destabilizing them.

Although the study was confined to cells in a lab dish, the researchers say their experiment suggests microplastics may have this effect on several other types of human cells or organs.

The research was published Tuesday in the journal PNAS.

“The possible toxicity of microplastics in human cells is currently being discussed. A priori, microplastics are not fatal immediately after ingestion into living organisms. However, it is increasingly recognized that microplastics can oxidize or stress cells through biological processes,” study co-author Jean-Baptiste Fleury of the University of Saarland in Germany, said in a statement. “The possibility that they may also stress a cell membrane through purely physical processes, however, is completely ignored by the vast majority of studies.”

While the effects microplastics have on our health are not well understood, scientists have grouped their potential consequences in two categories: physical and chemical.

Microplastics are typically less than five millimeters across — about one-third as long as an aspirin — but they can come in all shapes and sizes. Yet, it’s unclear how plastic’s physical properties can affect a person’s health.

[bryan]

Plastics are also slathered with chemicals, many of which are toxic, that give it qualities such as colors, transparency, added durability and resistance to temperature changes, bacteria and light radiation.

This sentence got the wow.

[ClutchLinkey]

From the “estimates” link:

the highest recorded plastic levels were found in shellfish, beer and salt.

https://giphy.com/clips/justin-Kwd25vq3KFaK1Dmqre

And then

The findings may be an underestimate because the microplastic contamination of staple foods such as milk, rice, wheat, corn, bread, pasta and oils has yet to be studied.

Yikes, indeed. Seems there’s not much an individual can do about it re: altering diet.

[anon15383236]

Foaging? Many “weeds” are edible!

But yeah, that pretty much can’t be a person’s entire diet, let alone even most of it.

[bryan]

@ClutchLinkey

Seems there’s not much an individual can do about it re: altering diet.

But at least they’re free range microplastics?

[anon52120741]

@anon15383236

we ingest enough microplastics each week to equal the weight of a credit card

So that explains why I pooped out this the other day!

[ClutchLinkey]

Yeah, I’m totally into foraging. And it does seem like a mostly vegan/vegetarian diet might be best, overall, which I’m close enough to to feel okay. Beer and shellfish being top of the list bums me out, though. Being a fun-loving Mainer, those are 2 of my favorite summer treats.
I’m guessing the beer is due to the water it’s brewed from, the shellfish due to concentration, and the salt…? No clue on that one.

[ficuswhisperer]

I don’t know if the article contained information about the types of micro plastic present but not all kinds of plastic float - many kinds will sink.

So I’m guessing that for the shellfish it’s because they are bottom feeders, and for the salt it’s because it’s collected from evaporation ponds where this stuff can accumulate.

[Purplecat]

Tobacco giant Philip Morris raises bid for respiratory drugmaker

[knoxblox]

[Purplecat]

Outrage after Zimbabwean girl, 14, dies giving birth at church shrine

[anon33932455]

@anon15383236

Many “weeds” are edible!

Dandelion leaves in sun tea is a most excellent source of nutrients.

[anon52120741]