Five Links to Start Your Week Off Thoughtfully

“Most farm technologies increase yields by a few percentage points. When you start talking about tripling yields over large expanses of land, then you are talking about a major improvement…” Triple. For small farms in Kenya. Triple the yields. All by planting a few plants to deal with some of your pests. Plants which, serendipitously, fix nitrogen as well.

Clean up your act, Chicago! This is actually a pretty upsetting reality in an industry a lot of us participate in, but is also a bit hidden from us. There’s a stark racial divide in who makes money in restaurants. There’s also a pretty impressive gender divide, though the racial divide is more dramatic. It definitely indicates white men make, by far, the bulk of the money in working in restaurants. And it leaves me wondering what the position is of black women in the same industry. Particularly in Chicago, unfortunately.

The trauma and importance of black reporters covering black violent death. And what does it take to support these vital reporters? This is a tough, painful read.

“Light is the most powerful cue for shifting the phase or resetting the time of the circadian clock.” I know this is a huge part of why I use a sunlight alarm clock (this specific one, in fact, at $25 more), particularly in winter. I am not much of a morning person, exactly, but this helps a lot. And though I’ve been repeatedly told to avoid phones and so forth before bed, it’s been a hard sell. That said, the more I do it, the better I sleep. This interview has definitely helped me remind myself of that, and Bill and I have discussed removing the bluer lights that he prefers from our bathrooms. It also has us ranting about the blue lights installed all over our apartment complex.

So, if you’re like Bill and I, and really struggle to do all the right things for sleep? Well, it helps to know a bit of the science about the sleep, and then consider what is do-able in your life. For me, it’s a bit easier to “power down” than it is for Bill, but I’m still not consistently turning off the electronics right before bed. However, I don’t use them in bed ever. I used to drink a glass of water every morning, and that habit has since fallen off. I think I’ll pick it back up again. I don’t know if that will actually help, but since I am chronically a hair dehydrated, it can’t hurt me.

Note: The Amazon link above is an affiliate link. This means I get a tiny percentage if you buy the clock or other things via Amazon after clicking. Your purchase price won’t change. And if you do smile.amazon for charity, they stack. Still without changing your purchase price. Thanks! And, for the record, I love that clock. We did pay $25 more for it than it’s listing for now, and it was worth it. Heck, I bought a sunrise alarm clock 10 years ago for $150 on a graduate student’s income, and it was worth every penny. Gentle sunrise alarm clocks are the best.